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“Parent Power” Film Stirs Hopes Of Education Reform Activists
Reuters, September 29, 2012
Education reform film “Won’t Back Down” opened Friday to terrible reviews – and high hopes from activists who expect the movie to inspire parents everywhere to demand big changes in public schools.

Fostering Tech Talent in Schools
New York Times, NY, October 1, 2012
When he is not volunteering as a computer science instructor four days a week, Mr. Edouard works at Microsoft. He is one of 110 engineers from high-tech companies who are part of a Microsoft program aimed at getting high school students hooked on computer science, so they go on to pursue careers in the field.

School Reform At Odds With Itself
Washington Post, DC, September 30, 2012
Education reformers contradict themselves every day and don’t seem to know it. This includes President Obama, Mitt Romney and many mayors, scholars and activists who all say we need more charter schools, more systems that evaluate teachers based on student test scores and more merit pay.

The Bottom Line On ‘No Excuses’ And Poverty In School Reform
Washington Post Blog, DC, September 29, 2012
The issue of the role of poverty in student achievement is far more complicated than the usual depiction of the school reform debate in much of mainstream media.

An Insecure Profession
Indianapolis Star, IN, September 30, 2012
We must build a sustainable and dedicated teaching force, she in effect argued, rather than a profession built of teachers who will come and go quickly because of low respect and poor working conditions.

More Evidence For Education Reform
Indianapolis Star, IN, October 1, 2012
The College Board provided sobering evidence last week as to why education reform continues to be so vital in this state and nation.

Film About School Reform Is A Story Of Hope
The Oklahoman, OK, September 30, 2012
EDUCATION reform is a bipartisan issue that too often gets mired in polarized positions. In the tussle between teacher unions going to the mattresses for the status quo and conservative think tanks storming the citadels, what can be forgotten is that reform is about children and how they learn.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

LAUSD, 3 Charter Groups Win Grants To Develop Evaluation Systems
Los Angeles Times, CA, October 1, 2012
L.A. Unified wins $16 million for its teacher and principal evaluation system. Charter-school groups Alliance College-Ready, Aspire and Green Dot also win grants.

Alternative Programs Offer Tailored Education Options
Santa Maria Times, CA, October 1, 2012
The rapid growth of charter school programs throughout the Central Coast indicate parents are more interested than ever in diversifying their children’s education. The programs also may provide some relief to traditional public schools on the verge of overcrowding, but the impact has been minimal, officials say.

Oakland Schools To Let Feds Monitor Discipline Of Black Students
Los Angeles Times, CA, October 1, 2012
Agreement with U.S. Department of Education is aimed at ensuring that African American students are not disciplined more frequently and harshly than their white classmates

COLORADO

CDE Model For Teacher, Principal Eval Bill Touted
Brush News-Tribune, CO, September 29, 2012
Discussion on Senate Bill 191 (SB 191) — the teacher and principal evaluation bill — continues, but Superintendent of Schools Michelle Johnstone informed the Brush Board of Education (BOE) at last week’s meeting that she will eventually ask the board to approve and adopt the model proposed by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE).

CONNECTICUT

Charter Schools Are Critical For New Hampshire Students
Concord Monitor, CT, October 1, 2012
I am an educator, the mother of a high school student and aunt of 10 other New Hampshire students. I am heartsick over the prospect of the state suspending and potentially eliminating funding for charter schools. This would be an enormous disservice to the children of this state.

FLORIDA

Parental Takeover Isn’t A Cure-All For Schools
Tampa Bay Times, FL, October 1, 2012
Fortunately, in Hillsborough County our public school system has been a pioneer in choice for parents and students. Our school district has a wide variety of magnet programs, career academies and innovative alternatives for a wide range of students. Our programs in teacher enrichment, peer review and mentoring have set a standard for our nation. The commitment of everyone involved in public education in our county makes it easy to say, “We Won’t Back Down” when it comes to offering the very best education for all of our students

Palm Beach County Readies School Choice Process For Next Year
Palm Beach Post, FL, September 30, 2012
This school year has barely started, but for parents clamoring to get their kid a seat in the popular school district magnet program of their choice next year, the process already has begun.

Miami-Dade Bond Issue Aims To Upgrade School Technology
Miami Herald, FL, September 30, 2012
Upgrading the digital network across Miami-Dade County Public Schools is a big piece of the spending plan for a $1.2 billion bond issue residents will vote on Nov. 6

GEORGIA

Charter School Opponents Set For Ground War
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, September 30, 2012
The increasingly bitter fight in Georgia over a constitutional amendment to allow more state charter schools isn’t likely to play out in expensive television ads before the Nov. 6 referendum.

Charter Schools Mean Choice For Parents
Savannah Morning News, GA, September 30, 2012
Fifteen years ago, I was one of a group of interested Savannah citizens who proposed that Savannah open its first start-up charter school, the first of its kind in Georgia.

ILLINOIS

Even After Fourth Denial, GreenTek Charter Organizers Not Giving Up
Rockford Register Star, IL, September 29, 2012
The public heard just four short, generic reasons Tuesday why the Rockford School Board and administration denied the plan for a dropout recovery charter high school.

INDIANA

Excel Center Deserving
Palladium-Item , IN, September 29, 2012
There’s a connectiveness between two public school stories appearing in Thursday’s Palladium-Item that should be apparent to even the most casual reader.

IOWA

Teacher Pay Hikes Good Place To Start
Globe Gazette, IA, October 1, 2012
Grab your chalk and write “uncertainty” on the board. Because there’s a fair amount of it in a task force recommendation on education that will wind up going to Gov. Terry Branstad.

LOUISIANA

School Board Debates Location For Lee High
The Advocate, LA, October 1, 2012
Location, however, could prove critical. Throughout the history of the magnet program, an attractive location has often made a big difference in whether a magnet program reaches its potential. Magnet programs established in less attractive neighborhoods have usually struggled.

Governor Makes Unforced Errors
Monroe News Star, LA, October 1, 2012
School choice is a good thing and people often choose to pay more for a home and taxes to live in a better school district. Parents should be able to move their children to higher functioning schools of their choice and these schools should have to meet standards that demonstrate the schools are practicing educational strategies that have documentation of success over the past five years.

MAINE

RSU 19 Among Six Districts Getting $25 Million For Teacher Evaluation Systems
Morning Sentinel, ME, October 1, 2012
Six school districts, including Newport-based Regional School Unit 19, will share nearly $25 million in federal money to create teacher evaluation systems, the Maine Department of Education announced this weekend.

Maine’s 1st Charter School Opens In Fairfield
Kennebec Journal, ME, October 1, 2012
The Maine Academy of Natural Sciences uses hands-on methods focused on agriculture, forestry and environmental sciences.

MASSACHUSETTS

MTA Picks Wrong Fight
Boston Herald, MA, October 1, 2012
Last week officials from the Massachusetts Teachers Association complained that the four hours the state has mandated to train teachers on new evaluation systems isn’t enough. They want teachers to undergo at least 12 hours of training before the new systems — which for the first time will consider measures of student performance — can be implemented.

Charter Schools Essential To Western Massachusetts’ Future
The Republican, MA, September 30, 2012
With the recent opening of Veritas Preparatory Charter School on Pine Street , Springfield families will have more options when it comes to choosing the right public school for their children.

MICHIGAN

Walled Lake Parent Hopes To Start Academy In Ferndale
Oakland Press, MI, September 30, 2012
Walled Lake mother Amy Niebert is living her own dream of starting a new school just as the controversial movie “Won’t Back Down” opens at area theaters.

MINNESOTA

More Kids With Disabilities In Minneapolis And St. Paul District Schools Than In Area Charters
Twin City Daily Planet, MN, September 30, 2012
Twin Cities charter schools enroll a smaller proportion of special education students than St. Paul and Minneapolis district schools.

Counseled Out: How Some Twin Cities Charter Schools Push Kids With Disabilities Towards District Schools
Twin City Daily Planet, MN, September 30, 2012
Last fall, only 4 percent of the students attending Dugsi Academy in St. Paul were in special education. That proportion is smaller than in most charter schools, and it’s much smaller than in Minneapolis and St. Paul district schools, where overall 18 percent of students are in special education.

MISSOURI

Delasalle Charter School Begins $7 Million Expansion, Renovation
Kansas City Star, MO, September 30, 2012
The charter school will spend $7 million to add facilities, programs and room for more students.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Moratorium On Charter Schools Puts 2 Seacoast Plans In Jeopardy
Portsmouth Herald, NH, September 30, 2012
Seacoast High School of the Arts, a proposed regional charter high school in North Hampton that would focus on the arts, has already submitted its full application to the state Board of Education, which has reviewed it, and was ready to undergo the board’s rigorous full review process when the moratorium was declared by the board earlier this month. The school was shooting for a September 2013 opening.

NEW JERSEY

Appeal Cites OK’ing Use Of Warehouse By Charter School
Canbury Road, NJ, October 1, 2012
Hatikvah spokesman Dan Gerstein said the school is aware of the township’s concern about enrollment and is reviewing the approved plans with its engineer to determine if any modifications are necessary.

NEW YORK

Parents Pitch In to Help Schools Face Budget Cuts
New York Times, NY, September 30, 2012
The space used to be a vacant field, sandwiched between Casis Elementary School and a parking lot.

Districts Face State Mid-January Deadline On Teacher, Principal Evaluations
Journal News, NY, October 1, 2012
With a mid-January deadline for state approval looming, about half of New York’s roughly 700 school districts have submitted union-negotiated proposals for the new state-mandated teacher and principal evaluations.

OHIO

Levy Battles
Columbus Dispatch, OH, October 1, 2012
Pushback from taxpayers means school officials must make a better case

OREGON

Corvallis Charters Offer Lesson In State System
Coos Bay World, OR, September 30, 2012
A dispute between an Oregon charter school and the local school district offers some insights into the complex and sometimes tense relationship between charter schools and their sponsoring districts.

PENNSYLVANIA

Hearts Ruled In Making Renaissance Decision
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 29, 2012
Members of the Camden Board of Education were being patted on the back for turning down four proposals by politically connected interests to add new Renaissance schools to the school system.

President of Harrisburg Teachers Union Thinks New Evaluation System Will Hurt Urban, Rural Teachers
Patriot-News, PA, October 1, 2012
Teachers at more affluent suburban school districts will have an unfair advantage over urban and rural educators when the state’s new teacher evaluation system is implemented next year, the president of Harrisburg School District’s teachers union said.

Pa. Must Pull Parent Trigger To Save Education
Patriot-News, PA, September 30, 2012
With seven states now adopting similar laws that put parental and student interests before those of government unions, it’s time Pennsylvania lawmakers pull the parent trigger lest the final word on King’s dream becomes unreachable.

TENNESSEE

Tennessee Planning For School Vouchers Nears Final Stages
Commercial Appeal, TN, October 1, 2012
A special commission appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam is about to begin drafting its final recommendations on how a Tennessee school-voucher program would operate, including who would be eligible for taxpayer dollars for private school tuition.

Nashville Schools’ Diversity Goals Clash With Charter Law
The Tennessean, TN, September 29, 2012
Although Metro Nashville school officials see diversity in the classroom as a moral imperative, state education leaders say Tennessee law may prevent the district from imposing that vision on charter schools.

Vouchers Hot Topic For Tennessee Campaigns
Times Free Press, TN, October 1, 2012
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam says he expects the question of using taxpayer dollars to fund private school vouchers will be a major issue in the General Assembly come January.

TEXAS

It’s Harder For Charter Schools To Keep Teachers
San Antonio Express Times, TX, September 30, 2012
Teachers leave Bexar County charter schools almost three times more often than at traditional public schools, which generally pay more and perform better academically, according to an Express-News analysis of five years of state data.

UTAH

High Quality Preschool Closes Achievement Gap For At-Risk Children
Desert News, UT, September 30, 2012
The Education Interim Committee on Sept. 19 heard and discussed research based on Granite School District’s high quality Title I preschool program. The research proved the program was successful in addressing school readiness, closing the achievement gap for at-risk children and reducing special education costs.

WASHINGTON

School Reform Ad Selective
Spokesman Review, WA, September 29, 2012
A new television commercial touting Idaho’s controversial school reform laws makes claims that are accurate but still mislead voters about the impact of the laws.

Simplistic And Costly, Charter Schools Aren’t Solution To State’s Education Problems
Bellingham Herald, WA, September 30, 2012
The charter schools measure on this year’s ballot is a simple solution that is wrong. Fortunately, researchers across the nation are unveiling the myths of this quick fix to public education. The most extensive study on charter schools done so far was conducted by Stanford University and showed that only 17 percent of charters perform better than traditional public schools, while twice that number perform at a lower level.

Charter Schools Provide Important Public Option To Help Struggling Students Succeed
News Tribune, WA, September 30, 2012
As a proud graduate of Tacoma Public Schools, an advocate for public education and an elected official who cares deeply about our city and state’s future, I urge you to join me and cast your vote for Initiative 1240.

WEST VIRGINIA

W.Va. BOE Wary of Teacher Unions In Reform Talks
Charleston Gazette-Mail, WV, September 30, 2012
The members of the West Virginia Board of Education knew that responding to a $750,000 audit of the state’s public education system would be politically dangerous.

ONLINE SCHOOLS

York-based Cyber School Seeks State Approval
The York Dispatch, PA, September 29, 2012
The first cyber charter school based in York County could open in the fall of 2013.
The proposed Urban Cyber Charter School would be designed for students in grades 6 through 12 and focus on the specific needs of the urban students and those at risk of failing.

Cyber/Charter Enrollment Hits 1,000 In Beaver County
Beaver County Times, PA, September 30, 2012
Ten significant facts gleaned from the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit’s 2012-13 enrollment survey involving public schools in Beaver County , as well as Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School , Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School and Baden Academy Charter School :

Florida Districts Fight K12′s Plan for Virtual Charter Schools
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, FL, September 30, 2012
Thousands of Florida students already are taking classes from Virginia-based K12, Inc., the nation’s largest online education company.

School Application Advances
Tampa Tribune, FL, September 30, 2012
A charter school applicant that plans to operate an online school is getting a tentative go-ahead nod from members of the Pasco County School District staff.

Online Schools Enroll Thousands Of Ohio Student
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, September 30, 2012
More than 30,000 Ohio students attend school online, skipping buses, cafeterias and classrooms to do their lessons entirely by computer, often at home, typing in tests and papers to be reviewed by a teacher far away.

How Much Does It Cost to Run an Online School?
NPR StateImpact , OH, September 30, 2012
Robert Mengerink didn’t know how much an online school really costs to operate — until he started one.

Online Schools Serve Students With A Range Of Goals, Officials Say
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, September 30, 2012
Few graduates of Ohio’s statewide online schools attend postsecondary training: not a two-year community college, not a four-year publicuniversity and often not even training for a vocational certificate.

Newark Digital Academy Seeking Improvement, Pursuing Waiver
Newark Advocate, OH, September 29, 2012
Preliminary report card data released Wednesday for the Newark Digital Academy shows a school that has not met adequate yearly progress and was below value-added growth.

Traditional Or Charter Schools? Actually, They Help Each Other, Study Says.
Christian Science Monitor, MA, September 27, 2012
A new study suggests that best practices from charter schools can help student achievement at underperforming public schools. The issue is getting the two to cooperate.

Chicago Teachers Strike Underscores Shift Among Democrats
Washington Post, DC, September 27, 2012
I’m a Democrat because I believe in the party’s basic principles, particularly the idea that we have to look after one another and stand up for those who need help. I believe in fighting for the civil rights of all Americans, especially children and those facing injustices.

‘Won’t Back Down’ Has Teachers Unions Running Scared
Washington Times, DC, September 27, 2012
For more than half a century, in Hollywood message movies from “Blackboard Jungle” to “Lean on Me,” Stand and Deliver” and “Dangerous Minds,” academic failure and juvenile crime have haunted the corridors of failing inner-city schools that were little better than war zones.

High Marks For Class Act
New York Post, NY, September 28, 2012
The rousing school-choice movie “Won’t Back Down” is (already!) inspiring teachers’ unions to protest it with its standard dial-a-mob tactics, but the film makes a serious effort to present the other side’s points.

Parent-Trigger Laws: A Bold Plan To Save Schools
NPR, September 27, 2012
Several states have passed what are known as parent-trigger laws, which give parents a path to make operational changes in failing schools. Education Week reporter Sean Cavanagh talks about where parent-trigger laws are in place and what we know about whether or not they are working.

Money Isn’t Answer For Schools
Sun Sentinel, FL, September 28, 2012
A well-known definition of insanity is, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting difference results.” For decades, the United States threw money at a public education system that had turned sclerotic in many parts of the country, only to see it spiral downward in quality. Yet, many in the public school establishment still insist more money is needed to reverse the deterioration. That prescription is just plain nuts.

FROM THE STATES

ARKANSAS

JHS Officials Explain What’s Next To Become Conversion Charter School
Kait8, AR, September 27, 2012
That implementation has put JHS on track for their next big move, turning JHS into a conversion charter school. Thursday night, school officials met with parents to break down what they’re looking to do and why.

CALIFORNIA

LAUSD, Charters Win $98 Million In Grants To Boost Teacher, Administrator Pay
Los Angeles Daily News, CA, September 27, 2012
Los Angeles Unified and three local charter school networks were among 35 recipients of $290 million in federal grants awarded to boost the pay of effective teachers and administrators, officials said today.

Fresno Unified Board Clashes Over New Millennium Charter School
The Fresno Bee, CA, September 27, 2012
The Fresno Unified School Board erupted with accusations Wednesday night over the district’s handling of the troubled New Millennium charter school, prompting one trustee to say the board had shirked its duty to investigate possible staff misconduct.

Livermore School Board Considers New Portola Academy Charter Petition
Livermore Independent, CA, September 28, 2012
The Livermore School Board held a hearing on Tues., Sept. 17, on a new petition for the Portola Academy charter school, submitted by the Tri-Valley Learning Corporation (TVLC) last month. In July, the State Board of Education (SBE) denied the original Portola Academy petition, which was also denied by the Alameda County Board of Education (ACBOE) and the Livermore School Board earlier in the year.

End Union Control of California Politics
Desert Sun, CA, September 28, 2012
Some of the arguments against Proposition 32 are particularly egregious examples of the misleading rhetoric that tends to surround California ballot propositions.

COLORADO

Students Take Alternative Road to Success
KREX News Channel 5, CO, September 27, 2012
Unlike an equation, the answers to how young adults should be educated can vary. Vista Charter School offers an alternative solution to the traditional method of education.

Re-1 Board To Consider TRES Charter Application
Glenwood Springs Post Independent, CO, September 28, 2012
Organizers of the Two Rivers Expeditionary School have formally applied with the Roaring Fork Re-1 school board to have the proposed Glenwood Springs-based school operate as a charter school within the Re-1 system.

CONNECTICUT

Waterford School Board Gets Details On New Teacher Evaluation System
The Day, CT, September 28, 2012
The Board of Education on Thursday learned more about the district’s new teacher and administrator evaluation system, which went into effect this school year.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

New Plan Will Allow Merit Raises For D.C. School Principals
Washington Post, DC, September 27, 2012
D.C. Public Schools officials plan to offer performance raises to principals and assistant principals who score well on annual evaluations, expanding the merit pay system already in place for teachers.

FLORIDA

6 of 7 Charter School Applicants Fail Committee Approval Test
The Ledger, FL, September 27, 2012
Only one of seven charter school applications submitted to the Polk County School District in August has been approved by an advisory committee.

State Task Force Proposal Would Require School Districts To Fund Charter School Facilities
NPR StateImpact , FL, September 27, 2012
A state task force is considering a proposal which would require local school districts to give money to charter schools for facilities.

GEORGIA

Education Officials: Vote No To State-Controlled Schools
Rome News-Tribune, GA, September 28, 2012
Education officials across Northwest Georgia are urging constituents to “Vote Smart” come Nov. 6 regarding the constitutional amendment on the ballot that would create a commission with the power to approve charter schools in local communities across the state.

Local Dems Blast Charter School Amendment
Athens Banner Herald, GA, September 27, 2012
Democratic candidate for the Georgia House of Representatives Spencer Frye summed up his feelings toward the proposed charter school amendment with an analogy: “If your house is on fire, you put the fire out. You don’t go right next door and build a house the same exact way.”

Smokescreen On Charter Schools?
Athens Banner Herald, GA, September 27, 2012
Is anyone tempted to ask if the Heartland Institute’s position on charter schools is “extremist” or outside the educational mainstream? I hope so.

Charter Column Relied On Scare Tactics
Athens Banner Herald, GA, September 27, 2012
Athens Banner-Herald guest columnist Russell Edwards rehashes silly, worn-out progressive slogans against charter schools in an attempt to scare voters away from what, if it happens in Georgia as it has in 41 other states, would benefit them and their children (Column, “Amendment would hurt public schools,” Sept. 19).

IDAHO

Index Ranks Idaho Education 15th In The Country Based On Options For Students
Idaho Reporter, ID, September 27, 2012
The Center for Education Reform (CER), a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to assisting states with education concerns geared toward choice in education and accountability, has released what it calls the “Parent Power Index,” ranking states on parents’ ability to choose a quality education for their children.

Parents OK With Low School Rating
Idaho Mountain Express, ID, September 28, 2012
Members of the Bellevue Elementary School Parent Auxiliary organization don’t seem overly concerned that the school only received two stars out of a maximum of five in the Idaho State Department of Education’s newly released rating system.

ILLINOIS

A Gold Star for Chicago Teachers Strike? We Think Not
Wall Street Journal, September 28, 2012
The Sep. 24 op-ed “A Gold Star for the Chicago Teachers Strike” by Karen Lewis and Randi Weingarten is a wonderful display of self-congratulatory patting of each other’s backs. However, it is a resounding kick in the pants to the budget of the Chicago Public School (CPS) system.

Charter Reform Time
Chicago Now Blog, IL, September 27, 2012
But the also article reminds me that that there’s a second, behind-the-scenes battle going on over charter schools in addition to the public one going on out in the open between districts and charters. It may be more important than the one going on out in public.

INDIANA

Despite Legislation, Test Shows Students Getting Left Behind
Evansville Courier Post, IN, September 27, 2012
The high school class of 2012 has taken its College Board exams and the results are not good, showing the nation still hasn’t cracked the code of how to deliver a quality secondary education to large numbers of students from diverse backgrounds.

IOWA

2 School Districts Get Head Start On Reform
Des Moines Register, IA, September 28, 2012
Two Iowa school districts are getting a head start on creating career ladders and new compensation systems for teachers.

LOUISIANA

Neville Move Surprises Board
Monroe News Star, LA, September 28, 2012
Monroe City School Board Vice President Mickey Traweek said Thursday he will encourage Neville High School to seek its charter from the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, not Monroe City Schools, if the school district continues to prioritize its spending based on the lack of academic success in schools.

Orleans Parish School Board race pits Heidi Lovett Daniels, Ira Thomas for 1st District
Times-Picayune, LA, September 27, 2012
Voters in eastern New Orleans and the Lower 9th Ward have two starkly different resumes to ponder as they consider whom to support in this year’s 1st District race for the Orleans Parish School Board. On the one hand, a veteran of the New Orleans Police Department argues that he and his fellow incumbents have cleaned up the district and deserve another four years to continue the job.

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter Head Calls It Quits
Gloucester Times, MA, September 28, 2012
With a stiff budget cut hanging over Gloucester Community Arts Charter School, Executive Director Tony Blackman slashed his own job to keep the teaching staff intact.

MICHIGAN

Michigan’s ‘Parent Trigger’ Legislation Has Right Goal, But Important Flaws
Detroit Free Press, MI, September 28, 2012
Those of us who conceived Parent Trigger three years ago, and have been working on its implementation in California and across the country since, applaud those legislators in Lansing who are joining parents in creating better schools for their kids.

MINNESOTA

Pre-Kindergarten Program Helping Close Achievement Gap
CBS Local, MN, September 27, 2012
In most school districts, children start school at age 5 when they go to kindergarten. But in Minneapolis, an increasing number of kids are going at age 4 as part of a program called High Five. It targets Native American kids, and it’s also a good example of what’s working in local schools.

MISSISSIPPI

Gov. Bryant Continues Push for Charter Schools
Mississippi Public Broadcasting, MS, September 27, 2012
Governor Phil Bryant is continuing his push to bring charter schools to Mississippi. As MPB’s Daniel Cherry reports, Bryant is looking to private schools for ideas on education reform.

NEVADA

District Faces Tough Task In Lifting Underperforming Students
Las Vegas Sun, NV, September 28, 2012
The Clark County School District struggles to remediate nonproficient students, according to last year’s school-level “growth” data released Thursday.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter School Moratorium Was Avoidable
Nashua Telegraph, NH, September 28, 2012
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello have made a lot of people laugh over the years with their famous “Who’s on First” comedy routine from the late 1930s, but few bothered to crack a smile last week over a more serious breakdown in communication that led to a moratorium on new charter schools in New Hampshire.

NEW JERSEY

City Should Host An Urban Hope School
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, September 28, 2012
If Camden school board members want detailed information about how opening more charter schools will impact the district’s budget, that’s understandable.

School Rejection Leaves Camden Neighborhood At A Loss
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 28, 2012
Charlie Marrero had hoped that by the time his son reached third grade in 2014, he would be attending a brand-new school just down the block from his Royden Street home.

Camden Board Rejects Urban Hope Act School Proposals
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, September 28, 2012
Camden’s surprise decision this week to block any new schools under the controversial Urban Hope Act has left local officials — and maybe even the Christie administration itself — with a difficult decision about what happens next in a drama that has become as much about politics as education.

NEW YORK

East Ramapo Charter School Backers Tout Alternative For Students; District Cites Costs
The Journal News, NY, September 28, 2012
Supporters of a proposed charter school are touting the need to give parents in the East Ramapo school district an alternative to the fast-growing, deficit-plagued public schools.

East Ramapo Charter School Makes Community Pitch
Newsday, NY, September 27, 2012
Supporters of a proposed charter school in the East Ramapo Central School District made their case for fiscal responsibility and academic accountability Thursday night at a public hearing in Spring Valley .

Evaluate Teachers, But Not By Tests
Newsday, NY, September 27, 2012
What makes teaching any different from every other job [“Get moving on evaluations,” Editorial, Sept. 21]? It seems obvious to me that, just like any other employee, teachers should be evaluated by their supervisors.

NORTH CAROLINA

The School Board From Another Planet
News & Observer, NC, September 27, 2012
Barring some undisclosed gross malfeasance on Tata’s part, getting rid of the superintendent at this critical moment is just destructive. The board is in the middle of creating a third student assignment plan in three years and getting ready to try to sell to the public a $1.2 billion bond issue for school construction needs.

OHIO

Teacher Evaluations Coming, Much Work To Prepare, Implement
Lima News, OH, September 27, 2012
While the coming teacher evaluation system is state mandated, much of the work will be done at the local level, with decisions needed to be made by next summer.

Cleveland Schools Chief Eric Gordon: ‘It’s Do Or Die Time’ For District
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, September 27, 2012
The Cleveland schools are in a position to greatly improve the education of the city’s children, district chief Eric Gordon told a City Club of Cleveland audience Thursday. But he said the district needs community support in November for a new school tax to carry out its plans.

OKLAHOMA

Money Talks And Education Will Listen
Tulsa World, OK, September 28, 2012
The last thing education in this state needs is more lip service. Unfortunately, that’s mostly what politicians supply. It was no exception Wednesday from Gov. Mary Fallin.

Oklahoma Schools to Receive A-F Grades Oct. 8
The Oklahoman, OK, September 28, 2012
Oklahoma education workers are finalizing data that will be used to assign an A through F letter grade to Oklahoma’s 1,761 schools. The grades will be announced Oct. 8.

PENNSYLVANIA

Parents From Two Charters Urge SRC To Keep Schools Open
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 27, 2012
Parents from two charter schools whose founder and former top administrators are under federal indictment urged the Philadelphia School Reform Commission on Thursday to keep their schools open.

Helen Thackston Charter School Breaks Ground For Expansion Project
York Daily Record, PA, September 27, 2012
Many of those speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion project at Helen Thackston Charter School said the day was a long time coming.

Pa. Special-Ed Funding Linked To Charter Law Changes
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 28, 2012
A long-awaited overhaul of Pennsylvania’s special-education funding system is on hold this fall, awaiting agreement on proposed charter law changes, according to the chairman of the House Democratic Policy Committee.

TENNESSEE

Parents Can’t Trust School System
The Tennessean, TN, September 28, 2012
There is no substitute for parental involvement in the education of their children; few other factors weigh so heavily in success.

VIRGINIA

A Better Plan For Closing The Gap
The Virginian-Pilot, VA, September 28, 2012
State education officials appear to have finally found the right track with their latest approach for setting educational goals in public schools.

WASHINGTON

New PAC Forms, Starts Advertising In Favor Of School Reform Measures
Spokesman Review, WA, September 27, 2012
A new PAC called “Parents for Education Reform” has filed paperwork with the Idaho Secretary of State’s office, and is running a new TV commercial in favor of Propositions 1, 2 and 3, the education reform referenda.

Tacoma School Board Opposes Nov. 6 Ballot’s Charter Initiative
News Tribune, WA, September 27, 2012
The Tacoma School Board voted 5-0 Thursday to oppose Initiative 1240, the charter school measure that will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Community Grapples With Charter School Initiative
Sammamish Review, WA, September 27, 2012
On Nov. 6, people across the state will cast their vote whether or not to allow charter schools in Washington , and locals stand on both sides of the argument.

ONLINE SCHOOLS

‘ Virtual Academy ’ Offers Educational Diversity In Bernardsville
Bernardsville News, NJ, September 28, 2012
In its second year, the Virtual Academy, funded by a grant from the Somerset Hills Education Foundation (SHEF), offers students the opportunity to study a subject, via the Internet, that is not offered at the high school.

Pasco Officials Moving Carefully Toward Virtual School
Bay News 9, FL, September 27, 2012
Plans for a new charter school in Pasco County are moving forward, despite an investigation into the company’s parent organization.

Joe Robertson | Few Takers For Free Online Classes
Kansas City Star, MO, September 27, 2012
For all those wondering whether legions of families really would transfer out of Kansas City Public Schools if they had a free option, here’s a way to find out. Or at least get a hint.

Internet School Seeks State Charter
Westminster News, CO, September 27, 2012
Colorado Virtual Academy (COVA) may be one step closer to distancing itself from the Adams 12 Five Star School district after the district school board waived its right to retain an exclusive charter to the state’s largest K-12 online school.

The Life and Death of Schools
Austin Chronicle, TX, September 27, 2012
On the subject of public education, Diane Ravitch may be America’s most important whistle-blower.

Julia Steiny: Get Creative with Private-School Vouchers
GoLocal Worchester, RI, September 27, 2012
It might look better if we all took a deep breath and opened our hearts to the potential virtues of private-school vouchers. Forget the current debate. Here’s the driving question: “How can we give more students and families what they believe will work for them?”

‘Won’t Back Down’s’ ‘Parent Trigger’ School Story Draws Protest
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 26, 2012
‘Won’t Back Down’ stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis as a mom and teacher who try to improve a failing public school. Anti-charter advocates aren’t fans.

Let’s Talk About Local Control of Public Education
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, IN, September 27, 2012
A handful of candidates are running for local school board seats in November’s election. It’s a wonder they bother. State and federal dictates keep diminishing school board autonomy. Why seek a public office with growing responsibility but shrinking authority?

Putting the SAT in its Place
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 26, 2012
At the same time that public schools are placing heavier emphasis on a single standardized test — the annual standards exam that each state offers — colleges are edging in the other direction. More are de-emphasizing the SAT, which for years ruled the college admissions scene. And though their motives for this might have a tinge of self-interest, this new flexibility in college admissions is a welcome change.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

FUSD Handling Of Charter Sparks Board Clash
The Fresno Bee, CA, September 26, 2012
The Fresno Unified School Board erupted with accusations Wednesday night over the district’s handling of the troubled New Millennium charter school, prompting one trustee to say the board had shirked its duty to investigate possible staff misconduct.

Oakland’s Award-Winning American Indian Charter Schools Face Closure Threat
Oakland Tribune, CA, September 26, 2012
The governing board for Oakland’s American Indian Model Schools — which boast some of the highest test scores in California — has been put on notice: If they don’t make swift changes to the way the organization is run, it could be shut down.

COLORADO

Best DPS Schools Refute The Critics
Denver Post, CO, September 27, 2012
Local leaders should heed the lessons of successful charter schools, not try to obstruct their growth.

CONNECTICUT

Can Public Schools Really Change?
Slate Magazine, September 27, 2012
Why New Haven’s ambitious new education strategy might actually succeed.

FLORIDA

Pasco School Enrollment Reverses Decline
Tampa Tribune, FL, September 27, 2012
Enrollment in Pasco County schools has grown by more than 500 students compared with the same period last year, the school district reported Tuesday.

Gov. Rick Scott And Florida Teacher’s Union President Meet Again
NPR StateImpact , FL, September 26, 2012
Staying true to his word, Gov. Rick Scott will sit down again this afternoon with Florida Education Association President Andy Ford.

GEORGIA

Richmond County Board of Education Plans Forum Against Charter School Amendment
Augusta Chronicle, GA, September 26, 2012
The Richmond County Board of Education is holding its first of several forums Oct. 4 to inform the public about a controversial constitutional amendment.

School Board Opposes Charter School Amendment
Savannah Morning News, GA, September 27, 2012
Members of the Effingham County board of education oppose a charter school amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Controversial Amendment Could Make It Easier To Create New Charter Schools
41NBC/WMGT, GA, September 26, 2012
Charter schools provide different choices for your students’ education, but there are several hoops you have to jump through to start one. A controversial constitutional amendment on the ballot in November could make it easier to create new charter schools.

Deal Says Charters Schools Amendment Is Not A Power Grab
WSB Radio, GA, September 27, 2012
Gov. Nathan Deal is responding to accusations by opponents of the November ballot question on charter schools who call it nothing more than a power grab by Deal.

Down With Charter Schools
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, GA, September 27, 2012
I retired after 33 years of teaching in the public schools, and I feel that I understand the challenges facing our schools. We have always had plenty of detractors, but never enough support. This latest rush to Charter Schools is detrimental to teachers, to children, and to public education in general.

Charter Approval Process Differs In Georgia And Neighboring States
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, September 26, 2012
Georgia and surrounding states offer different paths for the approval of charter school applicants. Parents or groups that want to establish a charter school in Georgia must first go to their local school board. If they are rejected there, they can turn to the state Board of Education.

IDAHO

Idaho’s Overlooked Education Overhaul Law
Idaho Statesman, ID, September 27, 2012
Of the three Students Come First laws, Proposition 1 doesn’t have much sizzle. It’s not as juicy as Prop 2, the teacher merit pay law, or Prop 3, the law to equip high school students with portable devices. Prop 1 deals with such matters as “evergreen clauses,” longstanding language in teachers union contracts.

ILLINOIS

Seminar Aims To Increase Parent Involvement To Close Achievement Gap
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 27, 2012
Educators and parents will gather Saturday, Sept. 29, in DuPage County to discuss issues and try to narrow the gap in test scores between students identified as black or Hispanic and those who are white or Asian.

INDIANA

NACS Approves New Teacher Reviews
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, September 27, 2012
Northwest Allen County Schools board approved an upgraded and legally compliant teacher evaluation system Wednesday night, a plan developed and voted on by teachers that incorporates the use of data to rate teacher effectiveness.

Gary Officials Want To Put Brakes On Charter Schools, Merrillville Seeking Its First
Post Tribune, IN, September 27, 2012
As several Merrillville residents clamor for a charter school in that town, several Gary residents — including top Gary Community School Corp. administrators — don’t want another one.

KANSAS

Close Achievement Gap
Wichita Eagle, KS, September 27, 2012
Normally, one shouldn’t make too much out of a single year’s state test scores, as an increase or decline may not necessarily reflect a trend. But the drop in assessment scores this past year among African-American students statewide (but notably not in Wichita ) was so dramatic that it demands action.

LOUISIANA

Neville Charter Seeks Option
Monroe News Star, LA, September 27, 2012
The Neville Charter School Association will seek the approval of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to operate as a Type II Charter, apart from the Monroe City School Board.

New Evaluation Plan In Works
Baton Rouge Advocate, LA, September 27, 2012
Teachers in Ascension Parish are preparing to undergo a new evaluation program.
Steve Westbrook, assistant superintendent of instruction and school turnaround for Ascension schools, explained to the School Board on Tuesday how the district is implementing a new statewide teacher evaluation system.

Schools Weigh Voucher Funds’ Return
Hammond Daily Star, LA, September 26, 2012
The Tangipahoa Parish School Board has asked federal Judge Ivan Lemelle to call in state education officials to consider the merits of removing state funding from the public school system to follow students in the voucher program.

MASSACHUSETTS

State Dropout Rate Lowest In A Decade, But Some Districts Lag
Boston Globe, MA, September 27, 2012
Every year, thousands of young people in Massachusetts decide to quit high school, for various reasons. They might have been struggling in the classroom because of learning disabilities. Or they were older than their peers because they had repeated grades. They might have jobs, or a baby at home. Often, it’s a combination of factors leading students to drop out before getting their diplomas.

Providence Establishes Education Nonprofit
Brown Daily Herald, MA, September 26, 2012
Legislative leaders announced this summer a $100,000 budget appropriation to fund the nation’s first partnership between labor and education management officials. The initiative United Providence, or UP!, which was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization, has created a unique collaboration between the Providence Teachers Union and the Providence Public School District designed specifically to improve the city’s lowest-performing schools.

MICHIGAN

Vote Yes on Prop 1 to Save Cities, Schools
Detroit News, MI, September 27, 2012
Michigan has two options for rescuing its financially failing cities and school districts: allow the state to intervene to put in place an aggressive turnaround strategy, or let them lurch into bankruptcy court where a judge will do the same thing, only with less concern for the long-term impact.

MONTANA

Superintendent of Public Instruction Candidates Debate
KFBB, MT, September 26, 2012
The candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction also went head-to-head Wednesday night.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Group Aims To Open New Charter School Next Fall
Fosters Daily Democrat, NH, September 27, 2012
The local group notified the Maine Charter School Commission last week of its intention to submit an application to open a charter school for fourth, fifth and sixth grades in Sanford or Springvale. Applications for new charter schools are due by Oct. 31 if a school is to open for the 2013-14 school year, but a notice of intent to submit an application had to be filed by Sept. 17.

Officials: Charter School Moratorium Could Be Lifted By November
Nashua Telegraph, NH, September 27, 2012
The future of Granite State charter schools is beginning to look brighter, after the state Board of Education and lawmakers announced they were optimistic a deal could be reached to end a moratorium imposed last week.

NEW JERSEY

Camden School Board Rejects Hope Act Schools
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, September 27, 2012
Advocates for Hope Act schools on Wednesday expressed disappointment, but not defeat, after the city Board of Education rejected all four applicants seeking to open such schools here.

Camden Board Rejects Four Privately Run Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 27, 2012
New Jersey Assemblyman Angel Fuentes patiently waited for hours Tuesday to see how the Camden school board would exercise its new power to decide whether to allow more privately run public schools to open in the city.

NEW YORK

Mount Vernon District Sues Again Over Charter School; Amani Students Protest
The Journal News, NY, September 27, 2012
For the third time in two years, the Mount Vernon school district has turned to the courts to challenge the legitimacy of the Amani Public Charter School.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Releases ‘Tracker Map’ To Follow Teacher Evaluation Progress
Syracuse Post Standard, NY, September 26, 2012
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has pushed school districts to move aggressively to develop new teacher evaluation systems, released an interactive “tracker map” today to help citizens see exactly where their districts stand.

NORTH CAROLINA

Candidate for State School Super Stumps in Jacksonville
Jacksonville Daily News, NC, September 27, 2012
Candidate for N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction John Tedesco said if voters are 100 percent satisfied with how the state school system is being run then they shouldn’t vote for him. But if they’re not then he is their man.

OHIO

Ohio Charter School Preliminary Report Card Data: 2011-12
NPR StateImpact , OH, September 26, 2012
The Ohio Department of Education released a limited set of school performance data for the 2011-12 school year on Sept. 26. The department has postponed releasing the full set of school report-card data — and the report cards themselves — while the state auditor investigates whether some schools falsified student records.

Schools That Wiped Out Data The Most Take Academic Dive
Columbus Dispatch, OH, September 27, 2012
The Columbus schools that deleted the most student attendance records last year posted dramatic academic declines after the practice was halted this year, according to test-passing rates that the state released yesterday on school report cards.

’Ohio 8’ Urban School Districts Target Data System
Canton Repository, OH, September 26, 2012
The powerful “Ohio 8” alliance says in a new analysis that the Ohio Department of Education has failed to adequately train districts on how to use the Educational Management Information System, or EMIS, and reports generated for them through the system can be late, missing or filled with errors.

OKLAHOMA

Holt to Introduce ‘Parent Trigger’ Legislation
Daily Ardmoreite, OK, September 26, 2012
Senator David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, has announced that he would file legislation for the 2013 session that will empower parents to force positive changes in chronically low-performing schools.

PENNSLYVANIA

Pennsylvania Legislature Considering Charter School Regulation Bill
CBS Philly, PA, September 27, 2012
A bill before the Pennsylvania legislature would grant the state broad, new power to regulate charter schools, including over-ruling local school district decisions on granting charters and setting enrollment goals.

Application, Reapplication From Charter School Denied in Sto-Rox
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA, September 27, 2012
For more than a year, those with a vested interest in the future of Sto-Rox have been on a roller coaster ride of emotions as district officials faced the decision of whether to grant an application by Propel Schools to open a charter school in the district.

TENNESSEE

Tennessee Governor’s Voucher Panel Debates When To Launch
Commercial Appeal, TN, September 27, 2012
A task force appointed by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has skipped over the question of whether to create a school voucher program. Instead, the panel’s most spirited debate Wednesday was over how soon vouchers could be offered in Tennessee.

TEXAS

North Hills Preparatory Ranked 10th Best Public School in the US
NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, September 26, 2012
The largest network of high performing charter schools in North Texas has come a long way. Uplift Education started in the 1990s with a small school in Irving.

VIRGINIA

School Accreditation Down After Math Standards Increased
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, September 27, 2012
In a year in which the state implemented tougher math standards, the number of schools that fell short of full accreditation more than tripled and the overall percentage of schools at the top level fell from 96 percent to 93 percent.

WASHINGTON

Teachers Focus On Governor’s Race, Not Charter Schools
Seattle Times, WA, September 26, 2012
Helping Democrat Jay Inslee defeat Republican Rob McKenna in the gubernatorial race is a higher priority for the statewide teachers union this year than whether voters approve public charter schools.

ONLINE SCHOOLS

Urban Cyber Charter School Could Be on Its Way to Central Pennsylvania
Fox 43, 2012, September 26, 2012
Next school year, students in Central Pennsylvania and across the Commonwealth could have an opportunity to attend an “Urban Cyber Charter School .” The school will target urban populations, while focusing on students who are at risk of school failure. Those heading up the initiative call the school a great combination of a brick and mortar school and online learning.

Pasco School District Officials Recommend Approval Of K12 Charter School
Tampa Bay Times, FL, September 27, 2012
K12 Florida, a charter school outfit that wants to create the Florida Virtual Academy of Pasco County, is under state investigation for allegedly hiring uncertified teachers in another county.

Janus’ $2.1 Million Grant To Boost Blended Learning In Denver Schools
Denver Post, CO, September 27, 2012
The investment firm Janus is giving Denver Public Schools $2.1 million to link teachers, students and software in what some say is a promising mix of high- and low-tech learning.

Romney, Obama Clash Over Education
Wall Street Journal, September 25, 2012
The presidential candidates offered clashing views on education, with Republican Mitt Romney delivering some of his harshest judgments on teacher unions and President Barack Obama defending them.

Romney: Bar Teachers Unions From Giving To Political Campaigns
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 25, 2012
Mitt Romney said Tuesday that teachers unions should not be allowed to contribute to political campaigns, because their financial backing tips the negotiation process away from the interests of students.

Obama A ‘Big Proponent Of Charter Schools’
NBC News Video, September 25, 2012
In an interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, President Obama said he was frustrated at ‘teacher bashing’ and renewed his call to focus on early childhood education and transform schools that are underperforming.

Thriving in School
New York Times, NY, September 26, 2012
Re “How to Fix the Schools” (column, Sept. 18):Joe Nocera is right: the answer to how to fix the schools lies in a different approach to teaching.

FROM THE STATES

Choose Choice
Naples News, FL, September 26, 2012
I am writing to express my support to the Collier County School Board to approve the Charter School Application for Mason Classical Academy .

School Board Addresses Charter School Needs
Panama City News Herald, FL, September 25, 2012
The Bay District School Board on Tuesday approved a North Bay Haven Charter School contract amendment and on-site health clinic but denied Bay Haven Charter Virtual School applications.

Tampa Charter School Withdraws
St. Augustine Record, FL, September 25, 2012
Board chair says charters that are ‘just after a dollar’ aren’t welcome in county. A Tampa-based charter school organization seeking to come into St. Johns County withdrew its application Tuesday morning, mirroring the decision made Monday by another charter school organization.

GEORGIA

Leader Refutes Charter Claims
Dawson News, GA, September 26, 2012
With the vote on the charter school amendment just over a month away, the heat is getting intense. I know. I have felt it.

Supporters, Opponents Plan Public Forum For Ga. Charter School Amendment
WRDW-TV, GA, September 25, 2012
Georgia voters head to the polls in just six weeks to cast their ballots for big decisions on the local and national level. One state issue on the ballot is the amendment involving charter schools in the state.

Senate Campaign: Candidates Weigh In On Charter School Amendment
Douglas County Sentinel, GA, September 26, 2012
All five candidates seeking the District 30 Georgia Senate seat vacated by Bill Hamrick emphasized their conservative credentials Tuesday, but had some differences on the issue of a charter school amendment.

Unelected Yet Appointed Group Trying To Gain Public School Funds
LaGrange Daily News, GA, September 25, 2012
There are several aspects of one proposed Constitutional Amendment that will be put to Georgia voters in November that worry me. The subject of the question concerns “charter schools.”

Elite Scholars Academy on Top School List Again
Clayton News Daily, GA, September 26, 2012
Elite Scholars Academy, one of two charter schools in the Clayton County Public Schools System, has been selected as a Top 100 Middle School in Georgia . This is the second consecutive year that the school has earned the honor.

Area Schools Prepare To Install School Governance Councils As Part Of Charter System
North Fulton Revue & News, GA, September 25, 2012
Nine schools in North Fulton will take their first step toward increased local control in the coming months as they prepare to elect school governance councils to guide them through the process.

SACS Sends Warning Letter to Clayton Schools
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, September 25, 2012
Clayton County school officials were warned Tuesday that their system’s accreditation could be back in jeopardy because of school board infighting, micromanaging and grandstanding.

IDAHO

Boise School District Takes A Stand Against Education Reform Laws
NWCN, ID, September 26, 2012
The Boise School Board is getting political. With the November election fast approaching, the Board of Trustees decided to hold a special meeting Tuesday to take a stance on the education propositions that will be on the ballot, Propositions 1, 2 and 3.

ILLINOIS

CPS, Teachers End Legal Battles In New Contract
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 26, 2012
A tentative contract between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools brings with it closure on lawsuits and labor grievances filed by both sides before and during the seven-day strike, according to a copy of the agreement posted online by the union.

GreenTek Charter School Still Has No Place In Rockford
Rockford Register Star, IL, September 25, 2012
The Rockford School Board unanimously agreed tonight that GreenTek Career Academy isn’t ready to become part of the Rockford School District .

INDIANA

State Schools Chief Wants Authority To Run Failing Systems
Evansville Courier Press, IN, September 26, 2012
State schools chief Tony Bennett is calling for new authority for his Indiana Department of Education to take over entire school districts that are failing, rather than just individual schools.

KENTUCKY

Brian Cooney: Too-Big-To-Fail Banks Still Threaten Economy
Lexington Herald Leader, KY, September 26, 2012
Of more importance in this regard is freeing schools from onerous rules and allowing parents choice among schools. Charter schools are an example of this. With charters, money follows the children, giving schools a strong financial incentive to adopt practices that parents value. Though Chicago has quite a few charters, Kentucky has none.

LOUISIANA

Value-Added Model Rating System Unfair To Teachers
American Press, LA, September 25, 2012
Contemplate this scenario: The CEO of the company you work for decides to implement an employee evaluation system in which only about 10 percent of the total employees will receive annually the highest level of evaluation possible. Job security and some employee compensation is based on that rating system.

New Orleans School Officials Push Holdout Charters To Join Single-Application Process
Times-Picayune, LA, September 25, 2012
After years of complaints from parents over how complicated it can be to register a student in New Orleans public schools, the city’s top education officials have come tantalizingly close to bringing every school within one streamlined enrollment system.

Teachers’ Organization Director Resigns
Baton Rouge Advocate, LA, September 26, 2012
The executive director of a teachers’ organization resigned suddenly, officials said Tuesday.

MASSACHUSETTS

MCAS Prep, Improvement Is Yearlong Process at Atlantis Charter School in Fall River
Herald News, MA, September 26, 2012
At the Atlantis Charter School, Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam success is a yearlong process.

MICHIGAN

Attorney: Repeal Of Emergency Manager Law Would Have Little Impact On Muskegon Heights Schools
Muskegon Chronicle, MI, September 26, 2012
While politicians were haggling over ballot language challenging the state’s emergency manager law, Donald Weatherspoon was busy composing a new chapter for the beleagured Muskegon Heights school district.

MISSOURI

‘Parent Trigger’ Approach To School Reform Isn’t Just Stuff Of Hollywood
St. Louis Beacon, MO, September 26, 2012
The trigger is pulled when a majority of parents in an underperforming school signs a petition to require the school to be drastically changed in one of a number of ways. In some cases, as the movie portrays, teachers are part of the petition process as well.

MONTANA

Candidates Seeking To Run State Schools Square Off
Montana Standard, MT, September 26, 2012
Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau said in a debate Tuesday that charter schools would not work in Montana, while Republican opponent Sandy Welch said she would consider a properly designed charter school system.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter School Moratorium Could Be Lifted
Union Leader, NH, September 25, 2012
The charter school moratorium could be lifted as soon as November if legislative budget writers approve an additional $5 million next month.

NEW JERSEY

NJ To Pilot Early Testing for Kindergarten
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, September 26, 2012
As part of the Christie administration’s latest push for early literacy, the state is launching a pilot program for testing children as they enter kindergarten.

Charter School Opens With Exorbitant Waiting List
North Brunswick Sentinel, NJ, September 26, 2012
After three years of planning and paperwork, the Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School (TEECS) opened its doors in September for children in kindergarten through fourth grade.

NEW YORK

Growing Pains: Union , Teachers And Students Complain About Crush Of 6,620 Oversized Classes In City Schools
New York Daily News, NY, September 25, 2012
Classes routinely exceed limits set by Department of Education and union. Two most packed schools are Benjamin N. Cardozo HS and Forest Hills HS, where some students are forced to sit on the windowsill or FLOOR, to get an education

Mount Vernon Files Another Legal Challenge Over Charter School
Newsday, NY, September 25, 2012
Mount Vernon is mounting yet another legal challenge against the New York Department of Education for approving the Amani Charter School , which city officials argue is “financially irresponsible” and will negatively impact the district’s budget.

Charter School Officials Not Greeted Warmly In Utica
Utica Observer-Dispatch, NY, September 25, 2012
The people behind two proposed Utica charter schools saw only a handful of friendly faces at public hearings Tuesday night.

NORTH CAROLINA

Wake School Board Fires Superintendent Tata
News & Observer, NC, September 26, 2012
The Wake County school board voted Tuesday to fire Superintendent Tony Tata after less than 20 months on the job, with some of the board’s majority Democrats calling him a polarizing figure who couldn’t bridge the board’s political divisions. The move points to the panel’s partisan divide and leaves its administration without a permanent leader as it faces pressing issues of growth, achievement, student assignment and financial support.

OHIO

State Issues Schools’ Slimmer Report Cards
Columbus Dispatch, OH, September 26, 2012
The slim version of Ohio’s school report cards that will go public today is like a hamburger without the bun: There won’t be attendance rates or an overall grade.

OREGON

Kids Unlimited Hoping to Start Charter School
NBC52, OR, September 25, 2012
Tom Cole, Executive Director at Kids Unlimited in Medford said he’s been hard at work. “We’ve submitted an application to the Medford School District based on a program ideology that we hope will someday land a school,” said Cole.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philly District Seeks Input On Which Schools To Close
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 26, 2012
The Philadelphia School District is preparing to close roughly 40 schools in June, and officials want your opinion on how they should pick which ones to shutter. Really.

York’s Charter Schools Struggle To Improve
York Dispatch, PA, September 25, 2012
Helen Thackston Middle and New Hope Academy charter schools have asked to expand their schools in the past year, as families have been clamoring to get students enrolled.

TENNESSEE

New Diversity Policy Won’t Close Any Nashville Schools
The Tennessean, TN, September 26, 2012
While Metro Nashville school officials grapple with how best to define school diversity for a system that has no majority race or ethnicity, on Tuesday they promised no school would be closed as a result of a new plan.

Nashville Democrats Slam Charter Fine
The Tennessean, TN, September 26, 2012
Nashville Democrats said they will oppose any effort to impose a statewide chartering authority, and they said Metro Nashville Public Schools may have grounds to sue the state after it withheld $3.4 million for rejecting Great Hearts Academies’ charter school application.

WASHINGTON

Why Charter Schools Are Not Enough
Ballard News Tribune, WA, September 26, 2012
This editorial is by Demian Godon, an opponent of I-1240 — an initiative that would allow charter schools in Washington — and a parent of two kids at Ballard High School . It’s no secret that we need to improve education in this state. But a charter schools measure on this year’s ballot is the wrong move.

No Need Here For Charter Schools
Issaquah Press, WA, September 25, 2012
Once again, Washington voters are being asked whether charter schools should be allowed here, as they are in 41 other states.

Under Initiative 1240, Local Charter School Is Unlikely
Issaquah Press, WA, September 25, 2012
On Nov. 6, people across the state will cast their vote whether to allow charter schools in Washington , and locals stand on both sides of the argument.

WISCONSIN

Program Targets Achievement Gap
Badger Herald, WI, September 25, 2012
Dane County announced plans to launch an education program addressing the area’s achievement gap that focuses on children before they begin kindergarten.

ONLINE SCHOOLS

Online Holdouts No More
Wall Street Journal, September 26, 2012
As online learning has been incorporated into nearly every aspect of U.S. education—from prestigious universities to struggling public systems—one type of school has largely resisted the trend: elite private academies.

School Board Denies Application For Charter School
Ocala Star Banner, FL, September 25, 2012
A nonprofit group’s application to launch a Marion County online charter school was denied by the School Board on Tuesday.

School Politics
Santa Fe Reporter, NM, September 25, 2012
Virtual charter schools, which allow kids to learn online from home, may be the wave of the future in a rural state like New Mexico . But they’re also unproven and politically contentious, as a recent decision by the state’s Public Education Commission illustrates.

School Nurses’ New Role in Children’s Health
Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2012
Amid a steady rise in the number of children with complex health problems, a push is on to establish more full-fledged medical clinics within public schools and make the school nurse a more active participant in children’s medicine.

Seeking Allies, Teachers’ Unions Court G.O.P., Too
New York Times, NY, September 25, 2012
The strike by public school teachers in Chicago this month drew national attention to a fierce debate over the future of education and exposed the ruptured relationship between teachers’ unions and Democrats like Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Five-Year-Olds Put To The Test As Kindergarten Exams Gain Steam
Reuters, September 25, 2012
With school in full swing across the United States , the littlest students are getting used to the blocks table and the dress-up corner – and that staple of American public education, the standardized test.

To Separate Gifted Students, or Not?
New York Times, NY, September 25, 2012
Re “Young, Gifted and Neglected,” by Chester E. Finn Jr. (Op-Ed, Sept. 19): As principal of the Bronx High School of Science, I agree with the points made in the article.

BUSH: Schools’ Expectations Should Be Colorblind
Washington Times, DC, September 24, 2012
Closing the achievement gap in our schools is both a moral mandate and a national priority. We need all our children to meet high academic standards if we are to compete in the 21st Century global economy.

Grading Teachers Isn’t Enough; Teachers Deserve Useful Evaluation And Support.
Christian Science Monitor, MA, September 24, 2012
The Aug. 13 cover story, “The measure of a teacher,” reminds us that too often the dialogue on teacher evaluation focuses on its potential for harm, rather than the benefits that good systems, infused with teacher buy-in, can bring.
.
Don’t Overemphasize SAT Report
Journal News, NY, September 25, 2012
Students’ SAT scores dipped to their lowest levels in 40 years for critical reading, and students also performed lower on the writing portion of the test that was added in 2005. The College Board, the nonprofit that owns the exam, also reported Monday that it considered just 43 percent of college-bound seniors “college ready.”

Top Down Reform Doesn’t Work
NBC News, September 24, 2012
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, talks about education reform and teachers unions.

‘Obama’s Money On Education Has Been Well-Spent’
NBC News, September 24, 2012
StudentsFirst’ Michelle Rhee discusses effectiveness of President Barack Obama’s education stimulus, importance of teacher evaluations, need to monitor No Child Left Behind waivers and the necessity to improve public education if U.S. is to compete in global marketplace.

FROM THE STATES

COLORADO

New Charter School Coming?
Cortez Journal, CO, September 24, 2012
The Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 School District is officially considering adding a new charter school.

More Denver Public Schools Making The Grade, District Reports
Denver Post, CO, September 25, 2012
http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse Ten more Denver schools have earned A’s and B’s in the district’s 2012 annual school performance report card than did last year, the district announced Monday.

Last Empty School In D-11 Garnering Plenty Of Interest
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, September 25, 2012
When the board voted in early 2009 to shutter eight schools, there were no detailed plans on what would become of the properties. Two were sold, one was traded, three became charter schools, one remains empty and one was repurposed by the district.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Officials Change Policy On Charter Schools’ Occupation Of Surplus Buildings
Washington Post, DC, September 24, 2012
District officials have tweaked the way they determine which charter schools should be allowed to move into surplus public school buildings, an effort to address long-standing complaints that previous decisions were neither transparent nor always fair.

Charter Schools Offer Brighter Futures To D.C. Children
Washington Times, DC, September 24, 2012
Twenty years ago this month, the nation’s first public charter school opened. Today, more than 1.6 million public school students are attending close to 5,000 public charter schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia .

That’s My Take: DC Charter Schools
MY Fox DC, September 24, 2012
If you are truly objective and you place the interests of the students of the District above all the politics surrounding public education, it would be hard to argue that charter schools haven’t been one of the most effective ways to elevate academic achievement.

FLORIDA

Miami-Based Charter Schools Withdraw
St. Augustine Record, FL, September 24, 2012
A Miami-based organization seeking to open two large charter schools in St. Johns County has withdrawn its applications on the eve of facing a possible turndown by the district School Board.

Charter School Group Pulls Bid for 2 St. Johns Schools
Florida Times Union, FL, September 25, 2012
A Miami-based organization seeking to open two large charter schools in St. Johns County has withdrawn its applications on the eve of facing a possible turndown by the School Board.

GEORGIA

School Superintendent Association Head Refutes Pro-Charter Claims
Macon Telegraph, GA, September 25, 2012
With the vote on the charter school amendment just over a month away, the heat is getting intense. I know. I have felt it. I wrote a column a few weeks ago giving the pro-charter folks an opportunity to make their case for the amendment.

IDAHO

Examining Claims Of Anti-education Reform Law Ad
KTVB, ID, September 24, 2012
Election day is six weeks away, and the controversial education plan Students Come First, is on the ballot. Voters get to decide if the laws stay or go in the form of three propositions.

ILLINOIS

What About Rockford ? Youthbuild Charter Has Success Elsewhere
Rockford Register Star, IL, September 25, 2012
The Rockford School Board will either approve a dropout recovery high school charter tonight or reject Kerry Knodle’s charter plan for a fourth time.

Jean-Claude Brizard, Chicago Schools CEO, Was Nearly Invisible During Teachers Strike
Huffington Post, September 24, 2012
When teachers on strike took to the Chicago streets for nine days this month, news cameras followed the union president, the head of the school board and the mayor. The Chicago Teachers Union and city representatives would meet for hours, negotiating technical contract details. A throng of reporters was always waiting outside for the latest update. But the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Jean-Claude Brizard, was nearly invisible.

IOWA

Charter Putting ‘First Generation’ Students Onto College Track
Storm Lake Pilot Tribune, IA, September 24, 2012
The Storm Lake Charter School program is achieving all of its original goals despite some state-imposed restrictions, according to a report heard by the Storm Lake Board of Education this week.

KENTUCKY

Flawed Law Hinders Charter School Administration
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY, September 25, 2012
Clear lines of authority are essential to the success of any business or government. Tennessee ’s law on appeals by charter-school applicants (TCA 49-13-108) seems contrary to good administration:

LOUISIANA

School Board Seeks To Keep Funding
The Advocate, LA, September 25, 2012
The Tangipahoa Parish School Board has asked a federal judge to stop the state from diverting district funds to schools that accept voucher students, but a plaintiffs’ attorney in the decades-old desegregation suit says the School Board’s effort doesn’t go far enough.

In Debate On Public Schools, New Orleans Stands Apart
Times-Picayune, LA, September 24, 2012
When it comes to debate on public education, at least as it plays out among those vying for a direct hand in how schools are governed, New Orleans can seem to be on a planet of its own.

MASSACHUSETTS

MCAS Top-Scoring Suburban Charter Schools
Boston Globe, MA, September 24, 2012
The Globe reviewed 7th, 8th, and 10th grade MCAS scores in English and math from 20 charter schools in cities and towns across Greater Boston. Almost every charter school did better overall than the community where it is based.

MICHIGAN

Truant Kids To Cost Families State Aid
Detroit News, MI, September 25, 2012
Michigan parents whose children don’t attend school will lose welfare cash benefits under a new state policy that takes effect Oct. 1.

MISSISSIPPI

Underfunding Schools Will Hurt State’s Future
Clarion Ledger, MS, September 24, 2012
First of all, the current proposal for charter schools is simply a way to fund private schools with public money and will drain much needed money from the already underfunded public schools.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter School Advocates Fight State Moratorium
Portsmouth Herald, NH, September 25, 2012
Outraged charter school advocates plan to pressure the New Hampshire Board of Education to reverse its recent decision to enact an indefinite moratorium on authorizing new schools.

Charter School Moratorium Perplexes Many
Union Leader, NH, September 24, 2012
Some New Hampshire lawmakers are concerned — and a little perplexed — about a state Board of Education decision to place an indefinite moratorium on approving additional charter schools in the Granite State.

NEW JERSEY

Evaluating Educators
Asbury Park Press, NJ, September 25, 2012
Principals and administrators will now be evaluated based on how well students are learning, under a pilot program being unveiled in a handful of the state’s districts this school year.

NEW MEXICO

Charters Promise High Quality
ABQ Journal, NM, September 25, 2012
A major difference between charter schools and traditional schools is the promise of a higher quality of education for students. Charter schools are held to a higher standard in student achievement, financial accountability and governing board performance than their traditional counterparts. That is the promise of charter schools: increased results for increased autonomy on how the schools are organized and operated.

NEW YORK

‘Risky’ Charter Partnership Helps Students Learn To Read
NBC News, September 24, 2012
Though the classroom at Veterans Memorial Elementary School may seem like any other, it has one key distinction: Chenard, like other kindergarten through second-grade teachers in the district, is part of a rare charter school-traditional school partnership that has led to strong improvements in literacy in this impoverished Rhode Island school district.

Parochial Schools Feel Pinch
Albany Times Union, NY, September 24, 2012
Charter schools, which were created as competition for traditional public schools, have been detrimental for parochial education, a new study contends.

Utica Board Of Education To Discuss Charter Schools
Utica Observer Dispatch, NY, September 24, 2012
The Utica City Board of Education will host a public hearing Tuesday to discuss two charter school proposals.

Optimism at Kingston High School
Daily Freeman, NY, September 25, 2012
The main reason for some optimism is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of ninth-graders having to repeat the grade. After several years at 25 percent, the rate fell to only 8 percent of last year’s freshmen.

NORTH CAROLINA

McCrory Not Backing Down From Support Of Controversial Charter School
News & Observer, NC, September 24, 2012
The N.C. teachers association is hitting Republican Pat McCrory for his support of a charter school company being investigated in Florida for using uncertified teachers and asking school employees to hide the practice.

OHIO

Attendance Records Being Examined At 6 Schools
Dayton Daily News, OH, September 24, 2012
State auditors are examining student attendance records in six Miami Valley school districts as part of a statewide probe into possible data tampering to improve report card performance, a Dayton Daily News investigation has found.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia Schools Have Progressed Since State Takeover, Report Says
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 25, 2012
Even taking into account the possible effects of a cheating scandal that has rocked the city, the Philadelphia School District has made strides in the decade since a state takeover.

Cheating Only Part Of Problem
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 25, 2012
State education officials’ reaction to the first drop in test scores since Pennsylvania students began taking the standardized exams in 2002 conjures images from The Wizard of Oz.

Part of the Education Solution
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 25, 2012
In 2010, the School District of Philadelphia announced its Renaissance charter initiative, a bold plan to turn around persistently low-performing schools. The district empowered a number of parent groups to select charter providers for their failing neighborhood schools. Three of those parent groups chose Mastery. The student achievement results from those schools are now in.

BASD Board Symbolically Votes Against Vitalistic Charter School’s Move
The Morning Call, PA, September 24, 2012
The vote is the latest trouble for Vitalistic, which could lose its regional charter at a tentatively scheduled Oct. 29 public hearing over long-standing financial and managerial problems. The full extent of Vitalistic’s money problems were highlighted last week in a scathing state auditor general’s report that found improper payments to the families of employees and trustees, illegal loans, and improper lease reimbursements totaling more than $630,000.

Charter School Supporters Gather At The Capitol To Promote Reform Legislation
Patriot-News, PA, September 24, 2012
Several hundred charter school students and their advocates came to Harrisburg on Monday to give state lawmakers a homework assignment on their first day back from their summer recess.

State Rep: No Movement On Charter School Bills Over Summer
Pennsylvania Independent, PA, September 24, 2012
A major charter school reform package that would include funding changes and additional academic accountability is widely viewed as a top priority for Republicans in Harrisburg during the fall session, which began Monday.

TENNESSEE

Film On ‘Parent-Trigger’ For Schools Takeover Sparks Dialogue
The Tennessean, TN, September 25, 2012
Tennessee is ripe for a parent-trigger law like the one used in “Won’t Back Down,” a representative from education nonprofit Parent Revolution said after a special screening of the movie Monday.

House Dems To Speak Against Nashville Schools Fine
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, September 25, 2012
House Democrats are speaking out against a decision by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration to withhold $3.4 million in state funding from Nashville because of a dispute over a charter school application.

ONLINE SCHOOLS

Plans in Works for New Cyber Charter School in York
York Daily Record, PA, September 24, 2012
Efforts are under way to start a new cyber charter school focused on urban youth, to be managed by the same company that manages New Hope Academy Charter School in York .

Erie SD Winning Back Cyber School Students
ErieTVNews, PA, September 24, 2012
$8500. That’s what the Erie School District has been losing from its budget each time a city student decides to attend an out-of-town cyber school. The money leaves Erie ‘s financially- strapped district, and goes to a cyber school someplace else.

District’s eLearn Program Off To A Good Start
Clay Center Dispatch, KS, September 24, 2012
USD-379 virtual school is reaching eight “completely virtual” students and 26 part-time students through its online program.

Chicago Schools Strike Incites Teachers Unions
Washington Times, DC, September 23, 2012
With Chicago’s ugly strike behind them, teachers unions are regrouping with a public relations blitz, meant to both repair a tarnished image and rally members who are under more fire than ever.

A Gold Star for the Chicago Teachers Strike
Wall Street Journal, September 23, 2012
After 10 years of top-down disruptions, teachers showed the power of collective action by those who work in schools

The Right Ways To Assess Teachers
Bangor Daily News, ME, September 23, 2012
Here’s a bit of advice to America ’s teachers: If you want the nation’s opinion leaders and CEOs to like you, don’t congregate in groups. Everyone, it seems, loves teachers individually. But when they get together, they become a menace to civilization.

Public Television Takes Role in Curbing Dropout Rates
New York Times, NY, September 24, 2012
More than 100 public television stations reaching two-thirds of the nation’s viewers turned over their air on Saturday to an unusual seven-hour telethon broadcast live from WNET-TV’s Lincoln Center studio in New York .

Fighting the Education Blob
National Review Online, September 24, 2012
School reformers who want to change the debate over how to fix America ’s public schools are successfully using a new weapon: cinema.

Education Nation: Schools in Crisis
NBC Nightly News, September 23, 2012
Teachers and students sound off about the state of America ‘s schools. NBC’s Rehema Ellis reports.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Charter Schools Aren’t Offering New ‘Transitional’ Kindergarten
North County Times, CA, September 24, 2012
While confusion continues over whether charter schools need to offer a limited two-year kindergarten program, like other public schools, officials at local charter schools are opting to forgo the program for now.

Berkeley Unified School District to Aid Local Charter School
Daily Californian, CA, September 23, 2012
After just one year of operation, Berkeley Unified School District ’s first and only charter school is facing financial troubles from significant deferrals in state funding.

Brown Signs Bill Spelling Out Evaluations (For Principals)
Ed Source, September 23, 2012
Without the acrimony and fanfare that doomed a teacher evaluation bill last month, the Legislature with near unanimity passed and Gov. Brown has now signed a milestone principal and teacher evaluation bill.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C.’S Test-Score Fantasyland
Washington Post, DC, September 23, 2012
D.C. schools’ new five-year plan says the 40 lowest-performing schools need to increase their collective math and reading proficiency rate from 23 percent in 2011 to 63 percent by 2017. It is hard to understand how intelligent adults could believe that that target has any connection to reality.

Talks Underway For New D.C. Teachers Contract
Washington Post, DC, September 22, 2012
The contract for D.C. Public Schools teachers is set to expire in less than two weeks, and labor leaders and school officials said negotiations about a new agreement are well underway and should conclude smoothly and soon.

Charter Schools Suspend, Expel Students At Widely Varying Rates
Washington Post Blog, DC, September 21, 2012
D.C. charter schools suspended and expelled students at widely varying rates in 2011-12, according to data released Thursday by the D.C. Public Charter School Board.

FLORIDA

School Board Advised To Reject All 9 New Charter Applications
Daytona Beach News Journal, FL, September 23, 2012
None of the nine applications to open new charter schools in Volusia County next year measure up to state standards for approval, according to a school district staff review.

Letter: Inflexible Evaluation System Doesn’t Fit Exceptional Students Or Their Teachers
TC Palm, FL, September 24, 2012
Unfortunately, the state of Florida has chosen to focus on the teacher evaluation system as a way to improve student achievement.

GEORGIA

Reason to Cheer
Savannah Morning News, GA, September 23, 2012
IT’S ENCOURAGING to know that Savannah-area public school students will soon have more of a good thing — a larger Oglethorpe Charter School.

Explaining The Charter School Amendment On The Ballot
WSAV-TV, GA, September 23, 2012
With the general election just months away the NAACP wants to make sure voters know exactly what they are casting their ballot for. The organization said there has been some confusion over the proposed constitutional amendment dealing with charter schools.

Attorney: Ga. Superintendent Illegally Campaigning
WRDW, GA, September 23, 2012
An Atlanta attorney says Georgia ‘s school superintendent and local officials are illegally using taxpayer money to lobby against a proposed constitutional amendment on charter schools.

Do The Math On Charter Amendment
Athens Banner-Herald, GA, September 23, 2012
I support public education. I support charter schools. I oppose the proposed so-called charter school amendment to the Georgia constitution, which the state’s voters will consider in November.

IDAHO

Talk to Each Other! Please
Magic Valley Times News, ID, September 23, 2012
We’ve spent dozens of column inches over the past several months questioning how teacher merit pay earned in the past school year could be withheld based upon a Proposition I vote this November.

Ad Slams Idaho School Reform Laws
Spokesman Review, WA, September 23, 2012
The hottest election issue of the season in Idaho – possible repeal of the state’s controversial new school reform laws – has yielded the first statewide TV campaign commercial, and it makes some questionable claims.

What Do Teachers Deserve? In Idaho, Referendum May Offer Answer
New York Times, NY, September 24, 2012
Chicago’s fight may be over, but in Idaho, the debate over schools has morphed into a harsh discussion about whom the voters should trust.

ILLINOIS

Emanuel’s Push For More Charter Schools Is In Full Swing
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 24, 2012
With Chicago students back in the classroom, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is free to push ahead with a key component in his effort to reform the city’s public education system — the aggressive expansion of charter schools.

Striking A Blow For Choice
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 23, 2012
On Monday, Sept. 10, the first day the Chicago Teachers Union was out on strike, 350,000 public school students — and their parents — were left high and dry. But for 52,000 other youngsters enrolled in public schools, it was just another day of learning.

Don’t Shy Away From Reforming Chicago Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 23, 2012
Many children wake up with a view of our glittering skyline, but the economic opportunity in those buildings might as well be a world away. Social, economic and family dysfunctions create a divide between their dreams and the tools they have to achieve them.

Greentek School Can Fill Important Need In Rockford
Rockford Register Star, IL, September 22, 2012
Charter schools are an option for parents who may be dissatisfied with the education their children receive in regular public schools. But what about students who have run out of options?

Chicago Schools Strike Incites Teachers Unions
Washington Times, DC, September 23, 2012
With Chicago’s ugly strike behind them, teachers unions are regrouping with a public relations blitz, meant to both repair a tarnished image and rally members who are under more fire than ever.

KANSAS

Highland Park High School: Challenging Opportunity Gap Anew
Topeka Capital Journal, KS, September 23, 2012
September Less than 10 years ago, Highland Park High School in Topeka was the sixth-lowest performing high school in Kansas .

LOUISIANA

Parochial Schools Working Hard To Improve: Letter
Times Picayune, LA, September 24, 2012
Re: “Making voucher schools more accountable,” Other Opinions, Sept. 13.
It is understandable for a segment of the general public to be concerned about voucher/scholarship students.

Louisiana Federation Of Teachers Wants Lawmakers To Reconsider Education Package
Times Picayune, LA, September 22, 2012
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers has issued its own call for a special session of the Legislature, just days after Rep. Jerome “Dee” Richard, I-Thibodaux called on his colleagues to reconvene in Baton Rouge to discuss budget cuts by Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration.

MASSACHUSETTS

5 New Plans To Assign Boston Students
Boston Globe, MA, September 24, 2012
Boston school officials are expected to unveil five proposals Monday night for allowing students to attend schools closer to their homes, a move that potentially could end four decades of cross-city busing.

Union Influence Declining At Mass. Charter Schools
Boston Globe, MA, September 24, 2012
When teachers at a Brighton charter school unionized four years ago, the first such move in the state, people took notice.

Charter’s Survival Can Teach Us All
Sentinel and Enterprise, MA, September 23, 2012
Earlier this year, the North Central Charter Essential School in Fitchburg was fighting for its very existence. In January, it was nearly placed on probation by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education because of low test scores. Probation would have threatened the renewal of its five-year charter.

Charters’ Limits Keenly Felt In Some Boston Schools
Boston Globe, MA, September 24, 2012
This is one Boston Public Schools teacher who, like Scot Lehigh (“Way to better schools is around unions,” Op-ed, Sept. 14), hopes that there will be some legislative remedies to Boston ’s charter school enrollment numbers. On a recent Friday alone, I proudly worked with five special needs students who were once enrolled in Boston ’s charter schools.

MISSOURI

Fights Over Accreditation Obscure Growing Achievement Gap
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, September 23, 2012
The poor scores are one of the reasons why the state Board of Education voted this week to remove “provisional accreditation” status from the Normandy schools. That means that if Normandy doesn’t improve in the next two years, the state will, in effect, take over the district.

NEVADA

Some Labor Unions Question Dividends Of Helping To Elect Democrats
Las Vegas Sun, NV, September 24, 2012
For Nevada’s unions, election season is business time. There are phone banks to run. Voters to register. Doors to knock on.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter School Planners Left Wondering
Union Leader, NH, September 23, 2012
Last week, however, after the New Hampshire Board of Education voted to suspend the charter school approval process, the Exeter resident — founder of Friends of the Seacoast High School for the Arts — felt something different.

Nashua Charter Schools Moving Forward Despite Moratorium Vote
Nashua Telegraph, NH, September 23, 2012
She and a group of other local parents are working to bring the Southern New Hampshire MicroSociety Charter School to the Gate City . And despite a vote by the state Board of Education on Wednesday that places a moratorium on new charter schools, the group plans to forge ahead and hold a parent information session about the school at the Nashua Public Library from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday.

NEW JERSEY

First Day Of School…Again
Hudson Reporter, NJ, September 23, 2012
Hoboken Charter School students finally got their first full day of school on Tuesday at the St. Anne’s School building, a former Catholic School at 255 Congress St. in nearby Jersey City Heights .

Overblown Reform
The Trentonian, NJ, September 23, 2012
It’s the hot new fashion in school reform. One state after another is seeking to link teacher merit pay to student performance. A much diluted version will now be concocted in the educational disaster area of Chicago after a nasty teachers’ strike there.

A Report on the Education Transformation Report
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, September 24, 2012
The Education Transformation Task Force has published its final report, replete with some victories but more omissions

West Milford School District Teams Up With Local University To Train Teachers
North Jersey, NJ, September 24, 2012
The school district has teamed up with an area university to train teachers in specialized reading instruction.

NEW YORK

NY’s Teachers Start Year Under Heightened Scrutiny
Wall Street Journal, September 23, 2012
The new school year brought back-to-school jitters for some New York teachers anticipating the state’s new teacher evaluation law, knowing their “grades” at the end of the school year will be partly tied to student progress and test scores.

PENNSYLVANIA

Test Scores Raise New Doubt At Chester Charter
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 23, 2012
Standardized-test scores have dropped precipitously at Chester Community Charter School , the state’s largest charter, after an investigation of possible past cheating brought new scrutiny to the school’s testing practices.

Charter School Reform Leads Pre-Election Legislative To-Do List
Patriot News, PA, September 23, 2012
For the GOP-controlled Legislature and Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, reforms to Pennsylvania’s charter school law will top the agenda for the short pre-election session starting today.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Upstate Educators Have Concerns About Proposed Evaluation System
Spartanburg Herald-Journal, SC, September 23, 2012
A proposed evaluation system that could give teachers and principals letter grades based partially on student performance has local educators seeking answers and criticizing the way state leaders developed it.

Myrtle Beach Area Parents Turn To Alternative Education Options
Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC, September 23, 2012
More and more families are looking outside traditional public schools for alternative ways to educate their children. Experts say about one in four students attend some type of school of choice, which encompasses a range of options from private, magnet and charter schools to programs administered at home.

TENNESSEE

State Won’t Revoke $3.4M Great Hearts Penalty
The Tennessean, TN, September 24, 2012
A meeting Friday afternoon between state and local school officials didn’t result in any immediate action, but talks will continue as Metro schools try to deflect a potential $3.4 million penalty by the state.

Trigger Law Intrigues Nashville Parents Feeling ‘Metro Fatigue’
The Tennessean, TN, September 23, 2012
Tennessee doesn’t have a trigger law as strong as in other states, but Dean said there’s good reason for local parents to watch “Won’t Back Down.”

TEXAS

Legislature Should Reform Teacher Evaluations
Dallas Morning News, TX, September 21, 2012
Texas legislators should remember his example as they prepare for next year’s session. In 2011, GOP state Sen. Florence Shapiro of Plano developed a bill that would have helped instructors receive better development, including working with their principals on a career plan. SB 4 also would have required districts to include classroom performance in their teacher evaluations.

WASHINGTON

Band Together To Improve Education In Washington State
Seattle Times, WA, September 23, 2012
The greatest breakthroughs in education will happen when we join hands instead of pointing fingers, according to guest columnists

Charter Schools Offer State A Fresh Approach To Education
The Olympian, WA, September 24, 2012
The Washington public school system needs more innovation, especially to meet the needs of low-income, high-risk children from communities of color struggling in traditional public schools.

Initiative 1240: Approve To Advance Options For The Children
Spokesman Review, WA, September 23, 2012
Washington schools are improving. Dropout rates are coming down. Student test scores are rising. But it’s time, finally, for Washington voters to approve charter schools by saying yes to Initiative 1240.

ONLINE SCHOOLS

Virtual School Reaching Out To Local Districts
Greenville Daily News, SC, September 21, 2012
After partnering with Greenville Public Schools in August to offer high school drop-outs a chance to earn their diploma via a virtual school, Berrien Springs Virtual Academy is now reaching out to neighboring school districts.

Virtual Charter Schools Coming Soon To South Florida
Sun Sentinel, FL, September 22, 2012
Now that the Florida Legislature has authorized “virtual charter schools” for kids as young as kindergarten, brace yourself for a strange new world of online education run by private companies.

EVSC’s Virtual Academy Offers Online Option For Students
Evansville Courier Press, IN, September 23, 2012
The key to success for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. Virtual Academy is constant communication between teacher and student, said its director, Janet Leistner.

RHS Principal: Online Education ‘Possibilities Are Endless’
Palladium-Item, IN, September 21, 2012
Hundreds of Richmond High School students are earning credits toward a diploma over the Internet instead of inside a traditional classroom.

Gltiches Aside, Huntsville School Students On Way To New Frontier With Computer-Based Teaching
Huntsville Times, AL, September 23, 2012
Something dramatic and exciting is happening in Huntsville. In the city that helped put men on the moon, our public schools are making one giant leap to an incredible, interactive digital learning environment that will challenge our students’ minds like never before and transform the traditional classroom.

Online School Offers Flexibility, Convenience
Hanford Sentinel, CA, September 22, 2012
As an actress and dancer, she goes back and forth between her home in Hanford and the L.A. area, where she attends auditions, acting and dancing lessons. This doesn’t leave her a lot of time for schoolwork, which is where Central California Connections Academy comes in.

Rethinking the Classroom: Obama’s Overhaul of Public Education
Washington Post, DC, September 21, 2012
In 31 / 2 years in office, President Obama has set in motion a broad overhaul of public education from kindergarten through high school, largely bypassing Congress and inducing states to adopt landmark changes that none of his predecessors attempted.

Focusing on Education, With an Eye on the Voters
New York Times, NY, September 21, 2012
The boilerplate for conservatives talking about education usually includes getting more school money into classrooms and out of administration. It usually does not edge into the dangerous ground of teachers’ salaries.

We Will Respect Our Teachers
Star Tribune, MN, September 20, 2012
Write that 100 times — and then act accordingly, because that’s how schools really get better.

Chicago Teachers Strike Shows Teacher Accountability At Charters Differs From Union-Contract Schools
Huffington Post, September 20, 2012
At the heart of the Chicago teachers strike, a historic rift that left 350,000 students in limbo for more than a week, was a question that school systems across the nation are confronting: How much should teachers be accountable for the performance of their students?

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

VISTA Students Scramble To Find New Schools
Stockton Record, CA, September 21, 2012
Huang, 17, was one of the roughly 70 students at Velocity International Science and Technology Academy who learned Wednesday that the new, troubled charter school would be shutting down.

School District Tosses Judge In ‘Parent Trigger’ Battle
San Bernardino Sun, CA, September 20, 2012
A group of parents seeking to take control of their kids’ failing school will have to wait a little longer, as the case moves from one superior court judge to another.

DELAWARE

State Seeks To Clarify Guidelines
The News Journal, DE, September 21, 2012
After two years of work, the state’s education leadership Thursday unveiled new regulations for monitoring and supporting the state’s growing charter-school system.

State to Study Pencader
The News Journal, DE, September 21, 2012
The state Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to place Pencader Charter Business and Finance High School on formal review.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

DCPS To Propose School Closures As Resistance Simmers
Washington Post Blog, DC, September 20, 2012
A long-anticipated round of proposed school closures will be announced in the next few weeks, Chancellor Kaya Henderson said Wednesday.

Some D.C. Charters Kick Out A High Percent Of Students
Washington Examiner, DC, September 20, 2012
The Capitol View middle school kicked out 70 percent of its students last school year either temporarily or permanently, according to data released Thursday by the DC Public Charter School Board. At Maya Angelou’s high school campus, 41 percent of students were suspended or expelled last year.

GEORGIA

Savannah’s Oglethorpe Charter School to Increase Enrollment
Savannah Morning News, GA, September 21, 2012
Oglethorpe Charter School officials have agreed to raise enrollment in exchange for a renewed charter and the Savannah-Chatham public school system’s large new building.

Charter Schools: County BOE Resolution Opposes Amendment
Times-Georgian, GA, September 21, 2012
The Carroll County Board of Education signed a resolution Thursday night urging Gov. Nathan Deal and state legislators to “cease efforts to erode local control of public schools.”

BOE Opposes Charter Amendment
The Toccoa Record, GA, September 20, 2012
Georgia voters will choose on Nov. 6 whether to allow the state to participate in allowing charter schools in local communities — a move the Stephens County School System opposes.

ILLINOIS

Did the Chicago Teachers Union Win?
Choice Media, September 20, 2012
The great Chicago teacher strike of 2012 has ended, and it’s time for Ed Reformers to look back and decide what really happened. We know kids didn’t go to school for 7 days. We know the union extracted a 17.6% raise from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and succeeded in getting merit pay dropped from consideration.

Paying For The New Teacher Contract
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, September 21, 2012
Mayor Rahm Emanuel could go a long way toward paying for the new teachers contract — without closing schools, raising class size or laying off teachers — by reversing financial maneuvers he ordered last year to prop up the city budget.

INDIANA

Teachers To Move To Merit Pay
Pharos-Tribune, IN, September 21, 2012
Area school administrators are watching Caston School Corporation this year to see how the corporation carries out the recent state mandate to base teachers’ pay on performance evaluations.

School Vouchers Lawsuit: Indiana Supreme Court To Hear Arguments
Indianapolis Star, IN, September 20, 2012
The Indiana Supreme Court will decide whether the nation’s largest school voucher program violates the state constitution.

LOUISIANA

New Foundation To Benefit Ebr Schools
The Advocate, LA, September 21, 2012
With little discussion, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday unanimously agreed to form a partnership with a newly created nonprofit foundation that plans to help raise money for the parish school system.

Public School Teachers Fall Short In Efforts To Recall Jindal, Kleckley
Times Picayune, LA, September 20, 2012
Public school teachers seeking to recall Gov. Bobby Jindal and House Speaker Chuck Kleckley said Thursday that they failed in their efforts to oust the Republican leaders.

MARYLAND

Charter Good for Frederick County
Maryland Gazette, MD, September 21, 2012
Frederick citizens will be faced with a number of decisions this November. While many issues are complicated, one question is simple: “Do you approve the adoption of the charter of Frederick County ?” When you learn the facts, it’s clear that charter (government) brings many benefits to our community.

MASSACHUSETTS

Search For Lowell Charter School Site Narrows
Lowell Sun, MA, September 21, 2012
Since the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell received approval to open next fall, school officials have been busily working to find a site for the school in the city.

Area Schools Roll Out New Teacher Evaluation Plans
Daily Hampshire Gazette, MA, September 21, 2012
Teacher evaluations, long a hot-button topic in education circles, are front and center in Massachusetts this year as the state’s “Race to the Top” school districts prepare to implement required new standards for such evaluations.

MICHIGAN

In Michigan’s Reform District, Students Set Their Own Pace For Learning
Detroit Free Press, MI, September 21, 2012
The chancellor of the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan plans to improve the state’s lowest performing schools by dumping traditional teaching methods and giving students a learning plan that will allow them to progress at their own pace.

NEBRASKA

Lawmaker To Propose Smaller OPS Board, Limits On Administrative Compensation
Omaha World-Herald, NE, September 20, 2012
The string of controversies within the Omaha Public Schools is spurring legislative interest in capping administrative salaries, shrinking the board and making other reforms.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter School Funding Dries Up
New Hampshire Union Leader, NH, September 21, 2012
State education officials will approve no more charter schools for the indefinite future, after the state Board of Education on Wednesday quickly read and adopted a moratorium that affects schools even in the pipeline.

Principals Get Greater Role In Teacher Reviews
Eagle Tribune, NH, September 21, 2012
Teachers will see the principal in their classrooms more often under a new evaluation process at city schools, Superintendent James Scully said.

NEW MEXICO

PEC Rejects 8 of 9 Charter School Plans
Albuquerque Journal, NM, September 21, 2012
Just one new state-chartered school will open in New Mexico next year, after the Public Education Commission this week denied eight of the nine applications seeking approval.

Parochial Approach Won’t Reform Schools
Albuquerque Journal, NM, September 21, 2012
The community-oriented, community-driven label has an appeal, and a value — for everything from infrastructure improvements to neighborhood policing. People from, and in, an area often have special insight into what that area needs. But when it comes to identifying and implementing best practices in education reform, New Mexico needs to keep all its options open.

NEW YORK

Parents Seen Less Involved In Schools
Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2012
New city statistics are showing a steep decline in parent involvement in New York public schools, giving potential ammunition to critics who say the Department of Education under Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been unresponsive to families.

The ‘Walk For Choice’
The Chronicle, NY, September 20, 2012
In a show of solidarity for having a three school choice option, close to 400 people walked in a silent “walk for choice” to the Greenwood Lake Board of Education’s meeting on Wednesday night, presenting the board with a petition with 647 signatures requesting George F. Baker High School in Tuxedo be part of the choice option for its high schoolers.

PENNSYLVANIA

Gillingham Charter School Athletics Denied Entry Into Schuylkill League
Republican & Herald, PA, September 21, 2012
Varsity sports teams at Gillingham Charter School will not be participating in the Schuylkill League for two years.

Propel School Plan Rejected in Sto-Rox
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, September 21, 2012
For the second time, the Sto-Rox school board has voted unanimously to reject a charter application from Propel schools to open a K-12 school within the district, an action that ends a two-month discussion between the two sides about possible cooperation.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Hayes, Thompson At Odds On School Choice
The Herald, SC, September 21, 2012
Education reform emerged as a key issue at a candidates forum in Rock Hill Thursday – one state Sen. Wes Hayes’ first challenger since 1992 used to challenge his opponent.

TENNESSEE

Huffman to Talk Money With Metro on Friday
The Tennessean, TN, September 20, 2012
School board Chairman Cheryl Mayes asked for the meeting in a letter on Wednesday after Huffman announced earlier in the week that he would withhold $3.4 million from the school system because board members refused to approve a charter school as it had been directed to do.

Metro Council Calls Special Meeting Over Charter Trigger Law
Nashville Public Radio, TN, September 20, 2012
The chair of the Metro Council’s education committee has called a special meeting to discuss a state law allowing parents to essentially take over school. The never-before-used trigger law permits petitioners to convert a public school into a charter.

TEXAS

Bush Touts Role Of Principals During Visit to KIPP
Houston Chronicle, TX, September 20, 2012
A new student turned up in an East End second-grade classroom Thursday. He wore a suit and tie and stood about twice as tall as the youngsters around him.

VIRGINIA

State Superintendent Proposes Revamped Math Objectives
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, September 21, 2012
Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright is proposing to revamp Virginia ‘s annual math objectives with more aggressive standards aimed at closing the achievement gap between high- and low-performing schools and students.

Charter Proposal Deserves A Fair Shake
Fairfax Times, VA, September 21, 2012
The efforts of a group hoping to create Northern Virginia’s first public charter school took a hit last week when Fairfax County school officials said much work remains to be done before the school’s application passes muster.

WASHINGTON

Teachers Will Get Earned Merit Pay
Spokesman Review, WA, September 21, 2012
It turns out both sides were wrong: Idaho teachers who earned merit-pay bonuses last year under a controversial school-reform law will get those payments this fall, regardless of the outcome of a Nov. 6 vote on whether to repeal the law.

ONLINE SCHOOLS

Virtual Learning Stories Miscast Role Of Nonprofit Foundation
Portland Press Herald, ME, September 21, 2012
“Special Report: The profit motive behind virtual schools in Maine ,” Sept. 2, mischaracterizes the relationship of those championing digital learning as for-profit and essentially conspiratorial.

Charter And Virtual Schools Need More Oversight
Sun Sentinel Blog, FL, September 20, 2012
For my Broward print column today, I wrote about the dark side to the explosion of charter and virtual schools that’s been encouraged by our choice-happy Legislature.

State Panel Turns Down Virtual Charter School Bid
The New Mexican, NM, September 20, 2012
The Public Education Commission on Thursday turned down two Santa Fe-based charter school applicants.

With Strike Over, Chicago Faces Another Test
Wall Street Journal, September 20, 2012
Linking Teacher Evaluations to Student Achievement Can Be a Hard Assignment, as Other States’ Experiences Have Shown

Segregation Prominent in Schools, Study Finds
New York Times, NY, September 20, 2012
The United States is increasingly a multiracial society, with white students accounting for just over half of all students in public schools, down from four-fifths in 1970.

Lessons From The Teachers Strike
Washington Post, DC, September 19, 2012
Here’s a bit of advice to America’s teachers: If you want the nation’s opinion leaders and CEOs to like you, don’t congregate in groups. Everyone, it seems, loves teachers individually. But when they get together, they become a menace to civilization.

For-Profit Corporations Are Ruining Our Nation’s Education
Patriot News, PA, September 19, 2012
It is vital that we hear and support the Chicago teachers’ call for less reliance on standardized testing — for student evaluation and for teacher evaluation. They were not fighting for more money, although all city schools are in desperate need of support. They were fighting for the soul of public education, which is under attack by for-profit corporations.

Why Should Teachers Do It All?
New York Times, NY, September 20, 2012
I commend Alex Kotlowitz for highlighting the issues we face in educating our most impoverished children. Asking teachers alone to find solutions for the myriad issues students bring with them every day, let alone teaching them to read, write and do arithmetic, is too much.

Skeptical Unions Pose Challenge To Districts’ Race To The Top
September 20, 2012, Nearly 900 districts nationwide, including 76 districts and charter schools in California , have told the federal government that they plan to compete for the final $400 million Race to the Top district competition. But with local unions having in effect a veto over their districts’ application, that number could dwindle.

Parent Power Index Ranks States in Ed Reform
Choice Media, September 19, 2012
If you’re listening to this, you’re probably interested in education reform, and you may have even had a conversation with neighbors, relatives or friends about how things are going in your state to shake up the education establishment and make schools better.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

San Bernardino Charter School Shut Down
San Bernardino Sun, CA, September 19, 2012
More than 100 students who had been attending a charter school for at-risk children stayed home Wednesday, and they won’t be going to Crown Ridge Academy ever again.

How Best To Rate Teachers?
Appeal Democrat, CA, September 19, 2012
With kids back in school, the need for reforming California ‘s education system is evident to many parents. The state’s students continue to perform near the bottom on most national rankings. For example, on the November 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, California ranked 47th of 50 states on fourth-grade reading and math and on eighth-grade math.

DELAWARE

Pencader On Hot Seat
Delaware News Journal, DE, September 20, 2012
The Pencader Charter Business and Finance High School may face its second formal review by the state Department of Education in as many years.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

KIPP Gains Survive New Scrutiny, With A Footnote
Washington Post Blog, DC, September 19, 2012
New research on the nation’s largest and best-performing charter school network has a dull title — “Student Selection, Attrition, and Replacement in KIPP Middle Schools” — but it adds fuel to a fierce national debate over why KIPP looks so good and whether schools should follow its example.

FLORIDA

Seven Charter Schools Proposed For Sarasota-Manatee
Herald Tribune, FL, September 19, 2012
The uptick in the number of charter schools shows little sign of slowing down, with as many as seven new schools set to open in Sarasota and Manatee counties next year.

Charter School Impacts
WWSB ABC 7, FL, September 20, 2012
Thousands of Suncoast students are now attending charter schools. That number may be growing, with five more schools trying to get approval. It’s a trend not only impacting choice, but also the more traditional schools already in place.

Gov. Scott Helps For-Profit Company Launch Charter School
WTSP 10 News, FL, September 19, 2012
Tallahassee, Florida – Gov. Rick Scott continues his push to help more charter schools operate in Florida .

Stray Attack On School Vouchers Coming To A Ballot Near You
Tampa Bay Tribune, FL, September 20, 2012
Few public issues are as absorbing as the balance between religion and government, so a ballot initiative that aims to change the boundary is worthy of rigorous debate. Instead, Florida ‘s Amendment 8 is being treated to a proxy campaign on school vouchers.

GEORGIA

Reject Charter Amendment
Augusta Chronicle, GA, September 19, 2012
On Nov. 6, Georgia voters need to be aware of a confusing and deceptive question which will appear on our ballot. The question reads: “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow state or local approval of public charter schools upon the request of local communities?”

Charter Schools A Positive for Georgia
Savannah Morning News, GA, September 20, 2012
On March 19, I was one of 40 state senators in the Georgia legislature who voted in favor of placing the above question on the general ballot this fall.

IDAHO

Idaho Arts Charter School Receives $50,000 Prize
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, September 20, 2012
Idaho Arts Charter School was awarded $50,000 from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation as one of six ID21 grand prize award winners across the state.

ILLINOIS

Teacher Gains Debated
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 20, 2012
While Chicago’s teachers may have drawn national attention to their cause, it’s still unclear whether what was achieved at the bargaining table during a seven-day strike was worth the disruption to teachers, students and parents.

After Teachers Strike, Doubts About Implications
Associated Press, September 20, 2012
Mayor Rahm Emanuel secured an extension of Chicago’s school day and empowered principals to hire the teachers they want. Teachers were able to soften a new evaluation process and win some job protections.

CPS Must Come Clean On School Closings
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, September 19, 2012
There are endless reasons why Chicago teachers say they went on strike. Pay, charter school growth, unfair evaluations, teacher recall, the over-use of standardized tests, the “privatization” of public education, poor teaching and learning conditions, anger toward Mayor Rahm Emanuel and on and on.

INDIANA

Charter Renewal Time for Imagine MASTer
The Journal Gazette, IN, September 20, 2012
Imagine MASTer Academy’s board and staff are gearing up for a visit from Ball State University officials who will determine the fate of the school and decide whether to renew the school’s charter status.

Charter School Eyes Anderson
The Herald Bulletin, IN, September 19, 2012
Staff from Anderson Community Schools and the Impact and Excel Centers expressed strong opposition to the proposed charter Premier High School during a public meeting Wednesday evening.

MAINE

Charter School Board At Capacity, Preparing For Review Of At Least 8 Applications
Bangor Daily News, ME, September 19, 2012
The Maine Charter School Commission welcomed two new members Wednesday as it gears up for another busy season of considering at least eight applications for new charter schools in Maine .

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter Scores Vary Wildly
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, September 20, 2012
The Gloucester Community Arts Charter School’s MCAS scores reported Wednesday morning show significant improvement in English Language arts programs over the school’s first-ever test results last year.

MICHIGAN

Schools Avoid Strong Evaluations
Detroit News, MI, September 20, 2012
The art of measuring a teacher’s impact is tricky – and figuring out how to do this fairly has sparked conversation and controversy.

MISSISSIPPI

Lawmakers Question School Funding Formula
Clarion Ledger, MS, September 19, 2012
The gap between the state’s school funding formula and money actually being appropriated could widen past $300 million next year, raising new questions about the formula’s future.

MISSOURI

Union Cooperation Helped St. Louis Schools Progress, Both Sides Say
St. Louis Beacon, MO, September 19, 2012
The kind of change that only came through a teachers’ strike in Chicago has been achieved more easily in St. Louis through greater cooperation between the school system and the teachers union, the president of the American Federation of Teachers said Wednesday.

NEW JERSEY

True Tenure Reform
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, September 19, 2012
Something called “tenure reform” is about to be enacted in the state of New Jersey . This is a result of an effort in the Legislature to cure a serious illness by applying a series of Band-Aids.

Honing Needed On Merit Pay
Asbury Park Press, NJ, September 19, 2012
Merit pay for exceptional public school teachers may be an idea whose time has come. Why not reward the exceptional educators in our midst?

Officials Unveil New Del. Charter School Framework
North Jersey , NJ, September 20, 2012
Delaware education officials are unveiling a new accountability system to strengthen state oversight of charter schools.

NEW YORK

From Failing To Blue Ribbon School : Bronx Charter School For Excellence Takes Home National Award
New York Daily News, NY, September 20, 2012
The Bronx Charter School for Excellence won the distinction of being one of three charter schools in the state to win a National Blue Ribbon Schools Award from the U.S. Department of Education.

Group Blocked From Offering Charter Plans For 2 Schools
Buffalo News, NY, September 20, 2012
A group wanting to turn East High School and Waterfront Elementary into charter schools was told Wednesday they could not present their plans to the Buffalo Board of Education.

NORTH CAROLINA

QEA Leader Opens New School
Winston Salem Chronicle, NC, September 20, 2012
The man behind the success of Winston-Salem’s Quality Education Academy (QEA) is putting his weight behind another charter school.

School Board Tries To Kill Charter Schools
Rhino Times, NC, September 20, 2012
The Guilford County Board of Education is fighting a rearguard action against the expansion of charter schools, more than a year after the North Carolina General Assembly removed the 100-school cap on charter schools in the state.

Increasing Choice Boosts Education
Jacksonville Daily News, NC, September 19, 2012
North Carolina has been testing the waters of a similar program, with legislators still weighing the issue. The divide over the question of a voucher system largely lies between Republicans who have endorsed the concept and many professional educators who do not.

OHIO

Why President Obama Can Still Count on Ohio’s Teachers
StateImpact NPR, OH, September 20, 2012
There is a difference when it comes to the ways President Obama and Mitt Romney want to improve public schools, and it’s a big one — money.

Third-Grade Goal
Columbus Dispatch, OH, September 20, 2012
With a recent vote to set a cut-off score for Ohio’s new “third-grade reading guarantee,” the state Board of Education has drawn a reasonable line for determining which children are struggling enough in reading that they should repeat third grade and receive extra help.

OKLAHOMA

Teachers Offer Policymakers The Best Voices To Help Guide Decisions
The Oklahoman, OK, September 20, 2012
EDUCATORS across America have undoubtedly watched what happened in Chicago the past several days with more than passing interest. Perhaps with all the changes facing public education, a teacher strike was a predictable response. Think about that: The going gets tough … and teachers strike.

PENNSYLVANIA

On His First Day, New Schools Chief Begins With Fact-Finding
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 20, 2012
For William R. Hite Jr., the clock started ticking Wednesday. It was the new Philadelphia schools chief’s first day on the job full-time, the first day of fact-finding for a plan he said he would release Jan. 2.

Harrisburg Teachers Prepare For New State Teacher Evaluation System
Patriot News, PA, September 19, 2012
Harrisburg School District teachers aired concerns over the states new teacher evaluation system during a training session held Wednesday.

Parents Upset Easton Area School District Does Not Provide Transportation To Charter School
Lehigh Valley Express-Times, PA, September 20, 2012
Lisa Lippincott said her eighth-grade daughter didn’t get enough time to study arts while in Easton Area Middle School , so she enrolled her in the Arts Academy Charter School in Salisbury Township .

RHODE ISLAND

Julia Steiny: Should Struggling Districts Follow the Lead of Charter Schools?
GoLocal Prov, RI, September 20, 2012
Nine schools in the Providence School District have agreed to consider converting to charter status, by partnering with one of Rhode Island’s excellent charter schools. Together they’ll adapt the charter-school’s educational strategy, write up their co-created new design, and apply for charter status from the state.

TENNESSEE

Charter Incubator Offers Stipends, Training To Draw Memphis Talent
Commercial Appeal, TN, September 20, 2012
Two years later, White is the first participant in the Education Entrepreneurs Fellowship, a three-year training program the Tennessee Charter School Incubator is kicking off in Memphis to increase the pool of charter leaders skilled enough to turn around failing schools.

Nashville Parents Explore Taking Over Schools
The Tennessean, TN, September 20, 2012
Dissatisfied parents and elected officials from West Nashville are exploring a never-before-utilized state law that would allow a public school to be converted into a parent-controlled charter school.

On Great Hearts Rejection, School Board’s Amy Frogge Won’t Back Down
The Tennessean, TN, September 20, 2012
Amy Frogge’s cellphone won’t stop ringing. Reporters, politicians, out-of-town callers with unfamiliar caller IDs — suddenly, it seems, everyone wants a word with the PTO president turned school board member who is just two weeks into her first gig in public office.

TEXAS

IDEA Enrollment Numbers Fall Short
Austin Chronicle, TX, September 20, 2012
IDEA Allan, the Austin Independent School District ‘s controversial in-district charter school, has failed to reach its enrollment target for the first year, though the school is still treating its numbers as a success.

WASHINGTON

Charter Schools Would Reduce Funding For Education
News Tribune, WA, September 20, 2012
This November, voters will be asked to decide about Initiative 1240, which if approved would allow the creation of charter schools. Public schools in Washington are already faced with the challenge of improving student performance at a time of declining resources.

WISCONSIN

Private School Vouchers Add To Pain Of Public School Cuts
Capital Times, WI, September 20, 2012
Dear Editor: Your article “Cuts to K-12 school aid fourth-largest in nation” talks about the huge cuts to public schools. It’s terrible that Gov. Scott Walker’s administration has cut so much.

ONLINE SCHOOLS

Daniel Boone Officials Want To Create Online School
Reading Eagle, PA, September 20, 2012
Dr. Gary L. Otto can see where the future of education lies. And the Daniel Boone superintendent wants to make sure his district is up to speed before it’s too late.

More Oversight Needed For Florida Charter, Virtual Schools
Sun Sentinel, FL, September 19, 2012
Or imagine a school where you don’t have to go to school, and where as many as 275 kids who sidle up to their home computers are “taught” by a single teacher.

School Choice Options May Suffer When Profit Becomes A Motive For Education
Hamilton Journal News, OH, September 18, 2012
One of the most prominent K-12 education reform movements in recent decades has been the idea of “educational choice,” allowing parents to use their child’s portion of state-allocated funds to send students to private and charter schools.

State Chiefs’ Vacancies Crack Window on Policy
Education Week, September 18, 2012
In Florida, Mississippi, Ohio, and Utah, in particular, governors and state education boards will be vetting candidates with an eye toward advancing politically sensitive policy initiatives both underway and on the horizon.

Black Male H.S. Graduation Rates Lag Behind Whites
Associated Press, September 19, 2012
More than half the young black men who graduated high school in 2010 earned their diploma in four years, an improved graduation rate that still lagged behind that of their white counterparts, according to an education group’s report released Wednesday.

Parents Shouldn’t Wait Around For Better Schools
Detroit News, MI, September 19, 2012
It’s one of the most stirring messages in the film. While education departments and local school boards figure out how to turn around a failing school, too many children are lost in the process.

Strike Did Raise Valid Topic
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 19, 2012
Perhaps Chicago ‘s teachers felt they were doing the rest of the country a favor by trying to force a debate on student tests with their strike.

Young, Gifted and Neglected
New York Times, NY, September 19, 2012
Every motivated, high-potential young American deserves a similar opportunity. But the majority of very smart kids lack the wherewithal to enroll in rigorous private schools. They depend on public education to prepare them for life. Yet that system is failing to create enough opportunities for hundreds of thousands of these high-potential girls and boys.

Oliver: Test Scores Belong In Evaluation Equation
Northwest Herald, IL, September 19, 2012
The strike by Chicago’s public school teachers offers an interesting lesson in a controversy that is being played out in school districts throughout the nation.

Do Scores Go Up When Teachers Return Bonuses?
NPR, September 19, 2012
In Chicago , parents were fuming over a weeklong strike by teachers. Around the rest of the country, in the face of growing evidence that many U.S. students are falling behind, administrators have tried to devise different ways to motivate teachers.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

How Best To Rate California Teachers?
Orange County Register , CA, September 18, 2012
With kids back in school, the need for reforming California ‘s education system is evident to many parents. The state’s students continue to perform near the bottom on most national rankings. For example, on the November 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, California ranked 47th of 50 states on fourth-grade reading and math and on eighth-grade math.

Clayton Council To Seek Clarification Of Whether Its Members Can Also Sit On Charter School Board
Contra Costa Times, CA, September 18, 2012
The City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to seek the advice of the state Attorney General’s Office on whether council members can also sit on the new Clayton Valley Charter High School executive board.

COLORADO

Alternatives Offered For Charter Co-Location
Ed News Colorado, CO, September 19, 2012
A new charter high school could open by next fall at the Lake campus if the Denver school board pursues the top choice of a committee formed to find a suitable Northwest Denver location for STRIVE Prep, formerly known as West Denver Prep.

Expeditionary School Proponents Renew Charter Push
Glenwood Springs Post-Independent, CO, September 19, 2012
Proponents of the Two Rivers Expeditionary School (TRES) have reapplied with the Colorado Charter School Institute to open a new charter school in Glenwood Springs that would serve students in grades K-8 from Glenwood Springs to Rifle.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Schools Set New Achievement Targets For Students By Race And Income
Washington Post, DC, September 18, 2012
Every public school in the United States has aimed for the same goal over the past decade: that all students be proficient in math and reading by 2014.

FLORIDA

New Charter School Opens At Former Brooks Debartolo Site
Tampa Bay Tribune, FL, September 19, 2012
The new charter school, for students ages 16 to 21 who otherwise might drop out of school or who have not received high school diplomas, leases space at 11602 N. 15th St. The site previously was Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School.

School Board Voices Strong Opposition To Amendment 8
Gainesville Sun, FL, September 18, 2012
The Alachua County School Board at its meeting Tuesday took a stance against an upcoming controversial amendment to the state constitution, rewarded several schools for keeping utility bills low and approved a contract for a solar panel array at another school.

GEORGIA

Beware Of The Constitutional Amendment Rope-A-Dope
Macon Telegraph, GA, September 19, 2012
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow state or local approval of public charter schools upon the request of local communities.” Aside from the other races for president and vice president, this seemingly benign constitutional amendment will also be on the ballot. It is not what it seems to be.

Rockdale School Board Passes Resolution Opposing State Control
Rockdale Citizen, GA, September 18, 2012
The Rockdale County Board of Education has passed a resolution to oppose the constitutional amendment for charter schools that will be on the November election ballot.

IDAHO

School Awarded For Innovative Mixing Of Arts And Academics
KVUE, ID, September 18, 2012
As one of six ID21 Award winners, The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation is awarding Idaho Arts Charter with a $50,000 prize. The awards come after the 2011-2012 ED Sessions speaker series, and each award-winner exemplifies topics from the series.

ILLINOIS

Bring On The Charter Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 19, 2012
Wednesday will be another school day for 566 students at Fuentes Elementary charter school on Chicago ‘s Northwest Side. Fuentes isn’t a traditional Chicago public school, but part of the United Neighborhood Organization network of charter schools, run under different rules without union teachers.

Strike Lessons Learned
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 19, 2012
What are the lessons learned from the Chicago Teachers Union strike and its battle with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and what does the future look like going forward?

Union Vote Ends Strike by Teachers in Chicago
Wall Street Journal, September 19, 2012
Chicago teachers union officials voted Tuesday to end a strike that halted classes for 350,000 students and illustrated the intensifying national debate over how teachers are evaluated, hired and fired.

CTU Chief Karen Lewis Is Wrong On Charter Schools
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, September 18, 2012
What do 52,000 Chicago parents of charter school students understand that Karen Lewis doesn’t?

Attack on Urban Prep Charter Harms Students And Teachers
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, September 18, 2012
Last week, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis wrote an op-ed in the Chicago Sun Times titled “School closings open door to charters.” Ms. Lewis criticized Urban Prep Academies, a nonprofit organization operating a network of charter public high schools serving mostly economically disadvantaged African-American boys.

Chicago Teachers Strike Highlights ‘Societal Problem’
National Journal, September 18, 2012
There is a bright spot to the Chicago Teachers Union strike that had ended Tuesday, which kept the city’s kids at home and its public-school teachers picketing the streets: People are actually talking about education.

Chicago Teachers Strike Ends With A Vote
Christian Science Monitor, MA, September 19, 2012
Public school doors in Chicago will open on Wednesday following a settlement between the city and its teachers. Chicago ‘s mayor Rahm Emanuel called the agreement, ‘an honest compromise.’

INDIANA

Indiana Charter School Board To Take Input On 2 Proposals
Munster Times, IN, September 18, 2012
The Indiana Charter School Board will host public hearings in communities throughout the state in September and October to collect input on proposals to open charter schools.

Education Experiments Radiate Out Of Capital
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, September 19, 2012
John Harris Loflin’s agenda is pretty simple. He’s not asking to take over any schools. He doesn’t want to replace entire teaching staffs. He’s not even looking for a contract to offer virtual courses.

MARYLAND

Plugging Gaps In Montgomery School Achievement
Maryland Gazette, MD, September 19, 2012
For years, Montgomery County Public Schools has been talking about narrowing the so-called achievement gap, and it appears, sadly, the school system will have to talk about it for years more.

MICHIGAN

Michigan House Committee Taking Up Bill That Would Allow Parents To Convert Struggling Schools To Charter Schools
The Grand Rapids Press, MI, September 18, 2012
State House leaders are taking up the “parent trigger” bill that supporters say could offer more opportunities to parents with children in chronically failing schools.

MISSOURI

State Acts Against Normandy Schools
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, September 19, 2012
The Missouri State Board of Education on Tuesday put the Normandy School District on notice — either reverse years of poor student performance, or face sanctions as severe as a state takeover similar to those in St. Louis and Riverview Gardens.

NEW JERSEY

City Shouldn’t Back More Charter Schools
Courier Post, NJ, September 18, 2012
On Sept. 18 Camden’s board of education (BOE) will receive a report from the committee charged with evaluating applications received in accordance with the Urban Hope Act (UHA). The board must determine if the addition of more charter schools will enhance the district’s fiscal viability and its capacity to operate efficiently.

Newly Enacted Tenure Reform Widely Supported
Tri-Town News, NJ, September 19, 2012
Described as a “win-win” for students and educators alike, a bill implementing tenure reform for New Jersey’s teachers was recently signed into law after months of bipartisan debate.

PENNSYLVANIA

At Lincoln Charter School, Candidates Talk School Choice
York Daily Record, PA, September 18, 2012
Three Libertarians and five Democratic candidates participated in an event, described as a panel discussion, Tuesday night organized by the Citizens for a Better York Coalition.

Officials Fail To Support Public Schools
Pocono Record, PA, September 19, 2012
On Main Street at Stroudfest, someone said, “There goes our tax dollars.” It was a huge, really orange bus covered in advertising for a cyber school.

RHODE ISLAND

No Need For ‘Us Vs. Them’ With Charter School Funds
Valley Breeze, RI, September 18, 2012
It’s discouraging to hear Lincoln School Department Business Manager Lori Miller tell her School Committee last week, “That’s $1 million out of district not benefitting kids in this district” when speaking about town students headed to the Blackstone Valley Prep Charter School.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Why S.C. Teachers Won’t Go On Strike
The State, SC, September 19, 2012
Public school critics love to complain about how much damage the “teachers’ unions” do to our schools. But the fact is that the only schools in South Carolina that could possibly have to deal with a teachers’ union are those private schools that our most anti-union lawmakers want us to subsidize.

TENNESSEE

Partisan Battle Intensifies Feud Over Charter School
The Tennessean, TN, September 19, 2012
A decision by the state to withhold almost $3.4 million from Metro Nashville Public Schools for defying an order to approve a charter school escalated an already simmering partisan battle over whose political philosophy will shape public schools.

Politics Isn’t Behind Metro’s Refusal of Great Hearts
The Tennessean, TN, September 19, 2012
While the whole escapade regarding Great Hearts and its application to open charters in Nashville has been extremely convoluted, it really is not so complicated.

Students Will Take Brunt Of School Board’s Blunder
The Tennessean, TN, September 19, 2012
The true victims in this ongoing spitting contest between the Metro School Board and the state Department of Education? Children.

UTAH

Charter School Sees More Stability In Students, Faculty As School Matures
Tooele Transcript Bulletin, UT, September 18, 2012
After a tumultuous start four years ago, Tooele County ’s only charter school is finding stability.

WISCONSIN

Neenah Extends Partnership With Alliance
Appleton Post Crescent, WI, September 19, 2012
The Montessori-based Alliance Charter School — Neenah’s only charter school — will continue to operate through June 30, 2019.

ONLINE SCHOOLS

Pa. Cyber Charter School Fires Most Top Managers
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, September 19, 2012
The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School board has axed its director, finance director, personnel director, compliance officer and a longtime lawyer, in a near-sweep of its top management that education experts on Tuesday characterized as highly unusual and potentially damaging in the long term.

D7 Discusses Online Classes
Dearborn Press and Guide, MI, September 18, 2012
Dearborn Heights District 7 may start offering online classes at O.W. Best as a way to help middle school students catch up.

How Should Teachers Be Reviewed?
San Diego Union-Times, CA, September 17, 2012
School districts nationwide move toward including student performance on standardized tests in staff evaluations

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Franklin-McKinley Launches Middle-School Career Academy
Marin Independent-Journal, CA, September 17, 2012
If charter schools have thrown down the gauntlet over improving the education of poor and immigrant children, Franklin-McKinley School District in San Jose is taking up the challenge.

FLORIDA

Florida Parents Have The Power In Making Education Choices, Advocacy Group Says
Tampa Bay Times Blog, FL, September 17, 2012
With a controversial film about the “parent trigger” as a backdrop, the school choice advocacy group Center for Education Reform has issued a new Parent Power index assessing in which states parents have “access to quality educational options and are provided with good information to make smart decisions about their children’s education.”

Logical Arguments are Lacking Among School Reform Opponents
Sunshine State News, FL, September 18, 2012
Those seeking to maintain the status quo in Florida ‘s public schools seem to think they have come up with a winning argument against competition.

Teacher Evaluation Plans Moving Slowly
Albany Times Union, FL, September 17, 2012
Only seven local school districts have had their teacher evaluation plans approved by the state, despite a looming deadline that could eliminate some state aid.

GEORGIA

Carter: Charter School Amendment Is About Local Control
Savannah Morning Journal, GA, September 18, 2012
If approved, the Georgia Constitution will be amended to allow the General Assembly to create state charter schools that will operate under the terms of a charter between the State Board of Education and a charter petitioner. The amendment requires that all state charter schools be public schools and cannot include private, sectarian, religious or for-profit schools or private educational institutions.

League of Women Voters Rejects Charter-School Amendment
Athens Banner-Herald, GA, September 17, 2012
Opponents to a charter school amendment to the state constitution picked up an ally Monday when the League of Women Voters of Georgia announced its stance.

County BOE To Oppose Charter Schools Amendment
Douglas County Sentinel, GA, September 18, 2012
The superintendent of Carroll County Schools, with the approval of the Board of Education, intends to draft a resolution before Thursday’s meeting concerning the board’s stance against the charter schools amendment.

Trust Issue Now Part Of Charter School Campaign
Peach Pundit, September 17, 2012
Unlike the T-SPLOST, the Georgia charter schools amendment began with a generally high level of public and political support. The measure passed the legislature with more than 2/3 support from each body of the legislature, generating bi-partisan backing required for passage.

ILLINOIS

Judge Delays Chicago Strike Ruling
Wall Street Journal, September 18, 2012
A judge declined on Monday to immediately order Chicago public-school teachers back into their classrooms, rebuffing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s efforts to end the six-day strike on the grounds that it is illegal.

Classrooms or Chaos
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 18, 2012
All eyes in the city will be on the nearly 800 delegates of the Chicago Teachers Union on Tuesday.

Some Parents Sending Kids To Charter Schools Due To Teachers’ Strike
CBS2 Chicago, IL, September 17, 2012
Public school parents frustrated by the length of the Chicago teachers’ strike are looking for other educational options, and the city’s charter schools have reported a record number of calls.

How to Fix the Schools
New York Times, NY, September 17, 2012
No matter how quickly the Chicago teachers’ strike ends, whether it is this afternoon or two months from now, it’s not going to end well for the city’s public school students. Yes, I know; that’s the hoariest of clichés. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.

Chicago’s Striking Teachers’ Narrow Interests
Washington Post, DC, September 17, 2012
“THEY WANT TO know if there is anything more they can get.” That astonishing statement by the head of the Chicago Teachers Union tells you all you need to know about the reason for the continued strike of the city’s public schools.

MAINE

Charter School Could Be Better, But We Don’t Know
Kennebec Journal, ME, September 17, 2012
I read the article about the Cornville Charter School in the Morning Sentinel on Sept. 6. A parent said, “It just sounds like a way better school than the public school. If a child is at a third-grade level, they do third-grade reading. They’re not held back with the other children. They’re always advancing forward.”

Maine School-choice Task Force Begins Work On Proposal By Identifying Goals
Kennebec Journal, ME, September 17, 2012
A work group formed by the Legislature met for the first time Monday to start developing a school choice proposal to send back to lawmakers in January.

MARYLAND

Group Files Charter School Application in Dorchester
Star Democrat, MD, September 18, 2012
An application to create the Dorchester Preparatory Public Charter School here was submitted Sept. 4 to the Dorchester County Board of Education by the Maryland Eastern Shore Charter School Alliance.

MASSACHUSETTS

Report Cards For Teachers? New Evaluations Aim To Increase Collaboration
SouthCoast Today, MA, September 18, 2012
School districts across SouthCoast and the state are in the midst of a sea change when it comes to figuring out how to identify and evaluate effective educators.

Charter Schools Suck Dry Our Education Budgets
Cape Cod Times, MA, September 18, 2012
The Cape ‘s school district enrollment challenges were clearly laid out in your well-researched Aug. 26 article.

Honors for Foxboro Charter School
Attleboro Sun Chronicle, MA, September 17, 2012
Boston Magazine has ranked Foxboro Regional Charter School near the top in the state among charter schools.

Deval Patrick Hails MCAS Results
Boston Herald, MA, September 18, 2012
MCAS scores for 10th graders have reached an all-time high since the test was created. According to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in the 2012 testing, 88 percent of 10th graders scored proficient or higher on the English Language Arts portion and 78 percent were proficient or higher in the mathematics portion.

MICHIGAN

Charter Company Faces Challenges Running Public School District In First Weeks Of Class
Michigan Public Radio, MI, September 18, 2012
The first two weeks of class have presented some obstacles for Michigan ’s first fully privatized public school district.

NEVADA

Clark County Schools’ ‘No Child Left Behind’ Performance Hits Record Low
Las Vegas Review-Journal , NV, September 17, 2012
Less than a third of Clark County schools made the grade under No Child Left Behind in the 2011-12 academic year, marking a new low for the country’s fifth-largest district.

Clark County Schools Improve On No Child Left Behind Benchmarks
Las Vegas Sun, NV, September 18, 2012
For more than a decade, Nevada’s public schools were required to meet annual academic benchmarks set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

NEW MEXICO

Outsiders Pushing Charter Schools
Albuquerque Journal, NM, September 18, 2012
Among the nine proposed charter schools to be considered this week by the Public Education Commission, two applications come from an El Paso group, one would be fully online and use curriculum from a national, for-profit company, and one would be based on a model that began in Arizona.

NORTH CAROLINA

New Wake Plan Calls For Proximate School Assignments
News & Observer, NC, September 18, 2012
Wake County’s latest effort at a student assignment plan addresses some of the loudest complaints about the current choice plan while keeping some elements that people like about that system.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philly School District Seeks Testimony To Decide Truebright Charter School’s Fate
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 18, 2012
The Philadelphia School District is trying to compel a former administrator from the Truebright Science Academy Charter School to testify during a hearing on whether the school should remain open.

Pittsburgh School Board Wants Extension To Close Racial Achievement Gap
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, September 18, 2012
A 20-year quest for racial equality in Pittsburgh Public Schools likely will last at least two more years.

TENNESSEE

Nashville Schools To Lose $3M Over Rejection Of Great Hearts
The Tennessean, TN, September 18, 2012
The Tennessee Department of Education is expected to announce as early as today that it will withhold more than $3 million in education funds from Metro Nashville Public Schools in response to the board’s decision last week to reject the Great Hearts Academy charter school application.

VIRGINIA

Patrick Henry Charter School Concerns Aired
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, September 17, 2012
After listening to a list of concerns about their school’s curriculum and the way that curriculum is implemented, officials from the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts said they appreciate the feedback and are eager to go forward.

WASHINGTON

School Strikes of Choice – in Chicago and Tacoma
News Tribune, WA, September 18, 2012
Chicago’s teachers – now into the second week of a citywide strike – don’t need a new contract as much as they need a new union.

ONLINE SCHOOLS

‘Virtual School’ Has Benefited Many Tennessee Families
The Tennessean, TN, September 18, 2012
I read with interest the (Sept. 6) editorial “Kids can’t afford to be set back by ‘virtual school.’ ” As the parent of a very happy Tennessee Virtual Academy (TNVA) student, it is important your readers know the full story.

Virtual School Questioned
Albuquerque Journal, NM, September 18, 2012
Most of the students enrolled in Farmington’s newest charter school don’t live in Farmington. Last month, the New Mexico Virtual Academy began offering online classes to 500 students in grades six through 12, most of whom live in Bernalillo County.

Parent Praises Virtual Schools, Cites Benefits
Wisconsin Dells Events, WI, September 17, 2012
The pressure of dating schoolmates and coping with bullying is off, and children are in full learning mode attending an online, public school where students learn from home, said a Wisconsin Dells area parent whose children are enrolled in the Wisconsin Virtual Academy.

IA: State’s Virtual School Provider Under Fire
Iowa Watchdog, IA, September 17, 2012
Florida’s top education leaders are investigating allegations that a for-profit company that also contracts with an Iowa school district used improperly certified teachers and then had other staff cover it up, according to a new report.

Online School With 200-Plus Students Opens Cody Office
Cody Enterprise, WY, September 17, 2012
A new school in Cody has no classrooms filled with students. But the Wyoming Connections Academy has a goal of offering a public education online program to the entire state, principal Ben Kolb said. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Cody office was held in August.